


Fate in Your Hands

by SHINeeMolly



Category: K-pop, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gang World, Alternate Universe - Mob, Attempt at Humor, Dark, Developing Relationship, Eventual Romance, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Forests, Intense, Kidnapping, Love, Past, Protective Bangtan Boys, Relationship(s), Revenge, Romance, attempt at writing sexy, bangtan boys - Freeform, bts - Freeform, deep past, lol
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-12
Updated: 2017-11-10
Packaged: 2019-01-16 08:45:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 54,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12339345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SHINeeMolly/pseuds/SHINeeMolly
Summary: When you move to Korea to start fresh, you never expected to be kidnapped...





	1. Prologue:Wings

I come from a small town in Washington, shrouded in hills and trees. I grew up in a fairly average family. My father died when I was four years old, leaving my mom to work two jobs trying to raise my brother and I. He was six at the time. Mom was usually stressed, but she never loved us any less. She devoted as much time as she could to us, and spent all her money trying to give us the best life she could give. It was a challenge when we were young, but we made it work.  


I remember holidays and birthdays being small and quaint. They were always being done at Grandma’s house. Grandma would also come over often to help watch us. We loved Grandma very much. She would bake us treats whenever we saw her, she would play games with us, read us stories, and make life a little easier on us all. It wasn’t a perfect scenario, but we made it work.

My brother, Behn, and I were with each other all the time. A few of my friends would always complain how their brothers always picked on them. Sometimes I would overhear the boys talking about how their older sisters would sit on them and steal dessert. Again, I would hear some whine about their younger siblings getting all the good toys. But none of those scenarios fit for me. Behn was an incredible older brother. Somehow, he knew when dad was gone that he would need to be there for me. He was so brave. Whenever I was hungry he would give me his snacks, he always let me play with his toys, and he was always watching over me. Even when we hit middle school and high school, he still was always looking out for me. He helped me study, he comforted me when my first boyfriend broke my heart, he gave me everything and never expected anything in return. We never fought, either. I couldn’t bear to fight with someone who was so selfless.

I was a sophomore in high school when Behn announced he had gotten accepted to a college in Texas, full ride. Mom was thrilled. In fact, she cried. She cried for him, she cried for me…she cried for herself. She was so proud, but she couldn’t help herself from being sad. I cried, too.  


Behn left, with a promising future. He would write to me all the time, telling me how much he missed mom and I. That’s when grandma got sick, however. Grandma had fallen ill about half way through my second semester. Mom went into a depression. She wouldn’t come out of her room and she ended up losing both jobs. Behn quit college and came back to take care of her. He got a job, cooked all the food, and even visited grandma frequently with the little time he had. Whenever I would ask him how he was he would brush me off saying he was fine. I could see through him though. He was miserable. He selflessly came back to take care of us, giving up his beautiful future. Sometimes I would plead with him to go back, to make something of himself, but that’s when the arguments would ensue. We would scream and throw things, and slam the door in each other’s faces. Mom never came out of her room.

Grandma died during the beginning of Christmas Break of my junior year. I can’t count how many hours the three of us cried. That was the quietest Christmas we had. It was around New Years that Behn said he was going to go back to college. By then, mom had woken up from her state. She smiled and told him how proud she was of him, how she couldn’t thank him enough. I couldn’t speak though. I had lost someone dear to me, and it felt like I was losing another. Perhaps I wouldn’t have felt that way if I hadn’t fought with him.

When we were at the airport, we didn’t speak. I held my head down in shame for shunning him, but yet…I couldn’t stop. Behn finally spoke before he got on the plane. He told me that he wasn’t coming back this time. It would be a long time before we saw each other again. He told me that he loved me and that when we next saw each other, that he wished I would be following my dreams. Most of all though, he wished for my happiness. I didn’t speak back, but I wish I had now. I cried the whole way home.  


Mom didn’t speak much about Behn after that. She had found a new job and got herself a boyfriend. It wasn’t that the man was a bad guy, but it just felt strange to see her with someone new. She hadn’t dated since my father had died. Chris was his name. He tried so hard to get close to me, but I just couldn’t do the same—He soon figured that out. We had an unspoken agreement; We were polite to each other, shot the breeze every once in a while, but we were never close. I was happy for mom though. She would come home laughing and smiling. Something I hadn’t seen in ages. She looked like she had gain ten years back of her life.

I continued my studies and finished high school with a slight above average gpa. I got accepted into many colleges, but no full rides like Behn. I honestly didn’t know what I wanted to do with life. I decided to go to a college in the town nearby, though. It wasn’t too far of a commute. Because I had worked my ass off, I had finished my 4-year degree in only two years. Mom was so proud. It was only a week after I had graduated that she told me that she was going to marry Chris. I was shocked but happy for her. She had finally got her life back on track. I wasn’t so happy, however, when she told me her and Chris would be moving to California. It felt like my whole world had split in two. I hadn’t spoken to my brother in years and here my mom was getting hitched and leaving. She and Chris begged me to move down there with them. I called Behn that night. It felt so unfamiliar. He told me that the move would probably be good for me, but something about his voice told me he didn’t really have an answer. We hung up from that call without even uttering a goodbye. That’s when I sat in my bed and really thought about what I wanted in life…I didn’t have an answer, but I knew it wasn’t in California. That’s when I made the craziest decision of my life.

“Lucy, baby-girl, are you sure you want to do this?” My mom squeezed my hand, her face filled with worry.  


I smiled back, “I took Korean lessons for a reason. I have to do this.” She sighed, her face contorting with uncertainty. Chris patted her shoulder.  


“Lu, your mom is just worried. You’ve never even been to South Korea, let alone live there.” He rubbed the back of his neck, not making eye contact. It was my turn to sigh.  


“I know, but I WANT to go. I WANT to see what it’s like there. I want to discover ME.” I emphasized. My mom pulled me into a hug before pulling back to smile at me.  


“I know this is what is best for you, but please, don’t forget your mother.” I smiled back. Of course I wouldn’t. I then hugged Chris. He rubbed my back in reply.  


“If you ever need anything, we’re only a call away. We’ll always have spot for you if you ever change your mind and want to come back. I nodded, grabbing my bags and leaving. No turning back now.

I gazed out the window, headphones in, as I reminisced about my childhood. I thought about mom, somehow, I knew she was in the car crying. I thought about Chris and how happy he made her. I thought about grandma. All her cookies, the way she read stories, all the times she came over; I would remember it all. I thought about my dad and wondered if he was looking down at me with pride. Then I thought about Behn. Mom was the one who told him I was leaving, but he never showed up to say goodbye. I thought about us as children. All the times he tucked me in, all the times he gave me his snacks, all the times he was there for me; I couldn’t forget any of it.

I pondered on how he finally got to accomplish everything he wanted and I wondered how he was doing as we speak. I thought about the first fight and wondered why we started to drift apart. I promised myself that I would go to South Korea to find myself and then when I came back, he would be the first to see me. I want him to look at me the way he did when we were kids; with love. I wish he would be proud of me. With that, I closed my eyes thinking about my new home.


	2. Just One Drink

South Korea was nothing like I had imagined. I had found a small apartment in the middle of Seoul, the capital. I had only been living there for two months, but life was a bit challenging. City-life was challenging. I found myself not sleeping for a couple of weeks from how much traffic there was. There were no trees nor hills; just people and skyscrapers. It was a bit overwhelming, but yet I found myself slowly fitting in the best I could.  


I still got stares from children and old ladies every time I took the bus. I understood why, though; They had never seen blonde hair before. I even found some shops that I enjoyed going to. My neighbors were fine. They were always polite when they saw me, but never stayed long enough to hold a conversation. Everyone here seemed to be…shy.  


I was lucky enough to find a teaching job at a nice high school. That was where I finally started to make some acquaintances within my coworkers. They were all welcoming and kind, filled with questions. None as many as my students. I was only a temporary teacher, however. I was just there to fill in till summer break; which was coming up soon. During summer break, the faculty would talk it over if they thought I could stay. I was pretty much guaranteed to stay, but rules are rules. I was finally starting to enjoy this new life I made for myself.

“Lucy!” Ji-ae called out as she ran into my classroom. She was the math teacher down the hall. She had chestnut brown hair that was always tied in a ponytail. Her face and body were petite, and she was full of life.  


“What is it?” I asked, not looking up as I put the many paper on my desk away. She grabbed my hand grinning.  


“Everyone is going out for a drink tonight. Please come with us.” She pleaded.  


I sighed, “I really shouldn’t. I have a lot of homework to correct, and besides, I barely speak to anyone.” She pouted.  


“Nonsense! Everyone loves you and WANTS you to come. Besides, it’s Friday. You can’t work all the time.” She had a point. Ever since I got this job, I spent my time either grading homework or jogging around the local parks.  


I looked at her wearily, “But I don’t really even drink that much.” She tilted her head at me in confusion.  


“I’ve never met someone who didn’t drink, but can’t you just take a shot or something? Please come!” I shrugged my shoulders, caving in.  


“Alright, why not.” I smiled.  


She beamed at me, “Great! Meet us at this location at 9pm.” She then ran off giggling. I couldn’t help but laugh. She was so youthful and charming. I grabbed the rest of my things as I left for home.

As I walked to the bar I couldn’t help but take in the night summer air. It wasn’t dark yet, but it still felt a lot calmer compared to the usual morning and afternoon. Even the other people on the sidewalk seemed to be at peace. Everything was just so refreshing. It was times like these that I liked to take a moment to look at everything. That’s when my eyes caught an old dark building on the other side of the road. It stood out compared to the other building because, it looked…well…burnt. Normally it would have looked eerie, but the building, to me, just looked pitiful.  


“Lucy, thanks for coming!” Ji-ae had jumped on my back. I managed to steady myself from falling as she latched on to me.  


I laughed, “I’m glad you convinced me to come out.” I noticed that we were standing outside the bar. I must have spaced out too much to not see it before.  


“By the way, what were you looking at?” Ji-ae asked, as we sat down. Everyone else was already seated, pouring each other drinks.  


“Oh, I was just looking around. I noticed that old building over there, but I didn’t really know what is was there for.” I explained. The vice principle, Mr. Lee, laughed next us.  


He began, “That building used to be a warehouse. It was used quite a bit, too, but a couple years ago some damn hooligans were being foolish and set it on fire. The owner didn’t think it was worth it to dump money into it, so it just sat there ever since.” We nodded in amazement.  


“I’m surprised it hasn’t fallen down yet. Shouldn’t something burnt like that fall apart?” I questioned. Mr. Lee merely shrugged.  


“The building may look like crap now, but it was built pretty damn sturdy. Everything on the inside was destroyed, but the foundation stands. I wouldn’t recommend jumping or running around the roof, but if you walked inside, you would be just fine.” I nodded once more.  


Everyone was slamming down drinks laughing, singing, telling jokes; I really enjoyed myself. I stopped drinking after I felt a slight buzz hit, but that didn’t stop the fun at all. I felt closer than ever to everyone. Before I knew it, it was a little past midnight, and I was a bit sad our time together was over.  


“Are you sure you’ll be ok going home?” I asked Ji-ae as she leaned on me. Her face was flushed as she stumbled.  


“I’ma be fiiiinnnee, Luty. I’mm takin a tashi.” She slurred.  


“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure she makes it home safe.” I looked up to see Hyungsoo take her from my arms. Hyungsoo is a physics teacher. Him and Ji-ae had been seeing each other for a while now. He didn’t sound drunk at all as he waved a taxi down, but the smell on his breath told a different story. By now, the rest of the group had made their leave. 

“Are you sure you’ll be ok walking home?”  


I smiled at him, “Don’t worry, I’m not really drunk and I know my way back home.” He nodded then got into the taxi.  


“Ok, be safe guys.” I smiled. Ji-ae stuck her head out the window.  


“BYYYYEEEE LUSHHHIIIII!” She yelled as the taxi drove off. I laughed at the scenario before breathing in the night air. Dusk had finally fallen upon me and the streets were empty. It was quiet once again. I glanced at the warehouse once more. The night sky gave the building an ominous feeling, but I didn’t pay it much head as I started on my way home.  


Pat-pat  


The sound of feet running made me quickly forget how to walk. I turned back around to see a mop of orange hair run into the building. It was a guy, though I didn’t catch a good look. I caught myself hunching over behind a trash can as I watched another guy with black hair walk leisurely into the building after him. Then another guy with pinkish hair ran in to, followed by a guy with something poking out of his hands. Then I saw two guys, one with silver hair, the other with blonde, dragging an unconscious man in a suite into the building. My heart thumped against my chest when the final man with light brown hair shut the door behind all of them.  


‘What’s going on?’ I thought. ‘Are they going to harm that man? What was in that guy’s hand? Do I call the police?’ I couldn’t really see any of their faces, and there is no guarantee that they were going to do something bad…but what if they were. I didn’t even realize what I had done until I found myself standing in front of the door to the building. My head was screaming at me to turn around now.  


‘Run! Pretend you didn’t see anything!’ I begged myself, ‘But I did see something, and they hadn’t seen me.’ I slowly opened the door to peak in. I noticed that no one was there. Subconsciously, the breath I had been holding was released. I walked in, carefully closing the door behind me. I quietly walked around noticing all the burnt wood and metal, the boxes that had sat there in dust, and the slightly a-jarred door in the back. The voices in that room appeared to get louder so I dashed quickly to the nearest box to hide behind. Luckily, they couldn’t see me.  


“Hyung, what do you want us to do with him?” The blonde hair asked as he pushed the business man on the ground. His face looked like it got bashed in. The light brown haired man walked casually around the poor man.  


“We ask him some questions.” He grabbed the back of the man’s hair, making him yelp. “Alright mister Choi, tell us where can we find your boss. If you tell us, we might just spare you.” The man was trembling.  


“I-I don’t know.” He whimpered. The guy nodded then snapped his fingers.  


“Suga,” he called, “I think he needs some convincing.” The black haired man, Suga, pointed a gun right at the man’s face. The man began to cry. “You see, I thought the pain in your poor face would have told you not to lie to us, but I guess not. So, I’m going to ask again, but if you don’t answer I can’t promise you what my friend, Suga, will do.” The guy that appeared to be the leader walked around slowly before bending down again, “Where is your boss?”  


The business man began to cry loudly, “I s-swear. I don’t know where he is. Please, I have a family.” The guy with orange hair laughed.  


“Maybe you shouldn’t have gotten into this type of business then.” He smirked.  


BANG! I covered my eyes as I heard the gun fire, but I quickly opened them again when I heard screaming. The man had been shot in the knee.  


“You should really just answer the question.” Suga remarked, “For your family’s sake.”  


“Fuck you!” The man screamed, crying. Three men in the back, blonde, silver, and brown were laughing at that. The leader glared at them.  


“V, Jimin, Jungkook! Be silent!” They all quickly fell deaf but the smirks never left their faces. The leader turned back to the man.  


“Next bullet will go through your head. This is your last chance. Where is your boss?” The man bitterly looked at him.  


“The last time I saw him; he was in Gwangju. I swear I don’t know anything else.” The leader then nodded.  


“Alright, fair enough.” He began talking to the pink haired man before the business man spoke again.  


“I swear I will have the police find you! You are all dead!” He yelled. The leader chuckled.  


“I thought you would say something like that.” He turned to the pink haired man, “Jin?” Jin sighed shaking his head at the business man.  


“I got this. Come help me Jhope, Jungkook.” Jin said as he grabbed the poor man, dragging him through the door.  


“Our pleasure.” Jhope laughed. I couldn’t help the quiet yelp I let slip as I heard 3 more shots fire. My heart was pounding, not just for the fact that a man died mere feet from me, but also because, I could have sworn the one they called Jimin noticed the noise I made. I tried to calm myself as he glanced over in my direction.  


‘Please don’t come over here, please don’t come over here.’ I repeatedly begged silently.  


“Hyung, “Jimin spoke to the leader, turning his attention away from my direction. “What do we do next?”  


“I don’t know why you guys don’t just call me Rapmon or Rap monster or my name.” He muttered.  


V spoke up, “Cause it’s weird.” Rapmon glared.  


“Just keep watch of the area. V, you take left side, Suga you take right side, Jimin you take front. I’m going to cover the back as Jin, Jungkook, and Jhope finish getting rid of him. Move out!” Everyone left the main room leaving me in the empty building.  


‘What do I do?’ I curled myself up in a fetal-position. ‘I could stay, but I swear that Jimin guy saw me. What if he tries to burn the place down again? What if they stay here all night? What if this is their base? I could try to run, but they seem to have everything guarded.’ I started to quiver as panic sank in. ‘What if I call the police?’ I carefully pulled out my phone, making sure silent was on so they wouldn’t hear it ring, but then I noticed that there was no signal.  


“Of course, the one place in a giant city that doesn’t have a connection.” I muttered. I had no other options. “I have to make a run for it.” I looked around to make sure no one was around before slipping to the front door. I cracked it open to see that there was no one in sight. I crept out, hiding in a bush nearby, looking around to see if anyone was there; No one.  


“I was wondering when you were going to come out of hiding.” I heard a chuckled behind me. I didn’t even hesitate to look. I made a bolt down the sidewalk, pushing my legs as fast as they would go. I could see a house with lights on as I came closer to a crosswalk.  


‘Almost there’ I screamed in my head before I felt something hit me in the back. It was sharp, it stung, and I felt my body collapse on the ground as warmth cloaked my body. The only pain I felt was from my hands scraping against the sidewalk. I heard the sweet chuckle again, before Jimin came into view.  


“I got to say, you surprised me by running.” He was speaking more to himself than to me. “But alas, you weren’t fast enough sweetie.” I felt sleep sink in as I heard other footsteps approach me.


	3. Let Me Know

I woke up to the sound of people arguing. I was tied to a chair in what appeared to be a basement. I heard something crash.  


“Dammit V, quit dropping things.”  


"It was an accident, Suga, I swear!” V protested.  


“Both of you quiet! What are we going to do about the foreigner?” Another voice spoke.  


“What can we do?” Sugar mumbled. “We should have killed her then and there.”  


“She technically didn’t do anything though.” Another voice chimed in.  


“She spied on us. What more did she need to do, Jhope?”  


“Honestly, she brought this on herself.”  


“She has bad luck.” They all started to chuckle. I felt the cold sweat start to form. The only thing I could think about was how they were going to put a bullet through my head. Then the door in front of me slammed open, making me yelp in surprise. Jhope burst through giving me a surprised look.  


“Oh, look she’s awake.” He hollered to everyone else. I noticed stairs leading from the door upwards. To what exactly, I don’t know. But I imagine it’s freedom. Soon enough the room was filled with all seven boys and me. They began to whisper to each other. When they hushed a bit, the leader approached me with a warm smile. Something that shocked me after seeing how ruthless he was.  


“I can see that you are a foreigner. Do you speak Korean?” He asked. Do I lie? Do I pretend I don’t understand anything? Will they go easy on me if I say nothing? I shifted my gaze around. All eyes were on me.  


“Yah! You were asked a question!” V shouted. I flinched from the growl in his tone. Rapmon laughed.  


“You can understand can’t you?” I nodded slightly, keeping my gaze off of him.  


“I’m glad, I wouldn’t want to have to kill you.” I looked up at that and notice the smile hadn’t left his face. “Want to tell me about yourself?” I shook my head, fear seeping in. I heard snickers all around me.  


“Of course she wouldn’t want to talk. She just woke up.” Jin spoke.  


“She’s probably scared.” Jungkook taunted. I looked down at my restraints. I felt so small. Rapmon patted my head, making me flinch.  


“I understand. This all must be very confusing to you.” I nodded my head. “Well let me introduce myself. My real name is Namjoon. They call me Rapmon in the…field. I’ll even let you call me by my real name. How about that? Why don’t you tell me your name now?” He was smiling, but it didn’t make me feel any safer. Do I tell this strange man who I am?  


I was hesitating and Namjoon frowned at this.  


He clicked his tongue, “Ok, how about this. This man over here is Suga, that’s Jhope, Jin, Jungkook, V, and Jimin. I would tell you their real names but I respect them too much to do that to them. Although, Jimin and Jungkook names aren’t codenames, so I guess it doesn’t apply to them.” He smiled satisfied, but I couldn’t find the way to form words.  


“Dammit just tell us who you are!” V grumbled. I flinched once more. Namjoon looked unpleased.  


“Please tell me who you are, or I’m afraid I really will have to kill you.” Namjoon said, but I couldn’t see any sympathy in his eyes.  


“Lucy.” I muttered, “My name is Lucy.” Namjoon nodded in satisfaction.  


“Wooo! She speaks.” Jhope laughed, clapping. Namjoon patted my head again, something that didn’t give me any comfort.  


“Good girl. Can you tell me a bit about yourself?”  


I started to stutter over what to say, “I-I’m from America. I moved here a couple months ago by myself. Last night, I-I just went out with some co-coworkers to get a d-drink. I swear I didn’t mean to stumble on…on whatever it was that you were doing.” My voice trailed off in fear.  


Suga chuckled, “Of course you didn’t mean to see, but you did. Isn’t there a saying, “Curiosity killed the cat?”” Everyone laughed at that. Namjoon patted my leg, turning my eyes back to him.  


“Don’t worry, since you’re cooperating, we won’t kill you today. Honestly, we have no need to at the moment.” With that he got up signaling everyone that it was time to leave.  


“W-wait!” I yelped, “If you’re not going to kill me, just let me go. I have no one to tell this to. I-I don’t even understand what I saw. No one would even believe the crazy foreigner. Please, release me.” Once again the room was filled with laughter.  


Namjoon spoke up, “You poor thing. You do make some valid points but alas, it’s still too risky.” He grabbed my face. “You are never leaving. You honestly should be grateful. If it were me, I would have shot you on the spot, but since Jimin is the one who caught you, he’s the one who gets to decide how long you live.” My eyes trailed to Jimin. When our eyes locked, a perfect smirk formed on his lips. Namjoon gave me a gentle pat on the cheek as he chuckled leaving. One by one they left, leaving only me and Jimin.  


“Sorry sweetie, you got some bad luck, but don’t worry. I don’t plan on killing you anytime soon.” He chuckled darkly as he left, closing the door behind him. I was left alone.

I don’t know how many hours had past, but I was feeling a bit hungry and a bit bored. The room was practically empty. If I tilted my head far enough, I could see a dresser in the left corner behind me. There was a desk next to it. They both were covered in dust, obviously being abandon some time ago. There was a dead plant in the corner of the room in front of me, but that wasn’t what interested me. It was the window that was just high enough to be out of my reach. It was tiny, but if I squeezed just hard enough, I’d probably be able to escape…that is, if I wasn’t tied to this chair.  


‘I bet if I moved that desk, I could reach the window.’ I was strategizing now. The window proved that I was under the house; I could see the ground was right beneath it. ‘I could crawl out and be perfectly safe. Then I could make a run for it. What if the window is locked, though?’ I sighed. I was starting to doubt myself. Still, I could see the sky through the window. The stars were visible slightly, and that was enough for me to seek freedom.  
Knock Knock  


“Hey,” I turned my head towards the deep voice, “I brought you dinner.” It was Jungkook. His voice was soft. He rubbed the back of his neck, looking unsure of why he was here.  


“Oh,” I mumbled, “Thanks, I guess.” He quickly put the food down, then began to untie me. I rubbed at my sore wrists, feeling the indents the ropes had cause.  


“Is it really ok for you to untie me?” I asked.  


He smirked, “What threat do you pose?” he tapped his gun as he looked at me. “Jimin said if you try anything that I have permission to kill you.” I wasn’t really going to try to escape. Jungkook was one of the taller ones. There was no way I would be able to take him on. I had to be smarter than that.  


“I wouldn’t try anything, anyway.” I said softly. His smirk fell of his face as the room fell into awkward silence.  


He cleared his throat, “Here, eat.” The plate of food was shoved into my hands. It wasn’t anything extravagant, some bread and some soup.  


“I’m not really that hungry anymore.”  


“Don’t be stupid. You haven’t eaten all day.” He scoffed, “If you don’t eat it, I will force it down your throat.” His threats were enough to make me take a bite out of the bread. It felt uncomfortable having him watch me eat, but yet, not being alone felt somewhat nice.  


“Can I ask you a question?” I asked. He seemed confused, but he shrugged his shoulders non-the-less.  


“Sure.”  


“How old are you?”  


“20, you?”  


“21.” I replied, a little shocked that he asked one in return. He hummed in response.  


“You seem pretty young to be...well…doing whatever it is you’re doing.” He snorted at that.  


“You seem a little young to be meddling in things you don’t understand.”  


I wiped my mouth, “You’re right about that. Young and foolish, but you don’t seem to be a foolish person. You actually seem to be pretty smart…so why do ‘this?’” I motioned my hands at the area around us. I wasn’t really sure how to explain it.  


He laughed, “Cause I wanted to. It’s as simple as that. You’re right, I had a bright future ahead of me. I could do anything, but you know what pleased me the most? It was watching the people who hurt me suffer.”  


“I-What do you mean? Did that business man hurt you?” I was twiddling my fingers now, as Jungkook chuckled darkly.  


“W-what did he do?” I stuttered.  


SMACK  


The sound of his hand smacking into the chair, the plate crashing to the floor, and the look on Jungkook’s face said it all; I had asked too much.  


“We’re done here.” With that Jungkook grabbed the plate and slammed the door open. “Jimin!” He called. In a blink of an eye, Jimin appeared.  


“You look upset Kookie.” He chuckled. Jungkook merely grumbled as he stormed up the stairs. I was left there on the floor trembling at the younger one’s outburst. Jimin casually walked up to me before crouching down to pat me on the head.  


“It seems you troubled my friend.” He smiled.  


I stuttered, “I-I didn’t mean to.” He only shushed me, one finger on my lips as he hummed. I couldn’t focus clearly. The close proximity had me troubled. He then sat me on the chair, making sure to tie my hands a little looser than last time.  


“You shouldn’t mess around with things you don’t understand.” With that, he gave me one more smile before turning and walking towards the door.  


“Goodnight sweetie.” The door closed behind him, leaving me in darkness.


	4. Spine Breaker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all are enjoying! feedback is greatly appreciated, but most of all I just appreciate the fact that you took the time to click on my story. Thank you :)

The next day was nothing special. Someone different would come in to check on me every couple of hours. Jhope was first, then V, then Jin. None of them talked to me, especially not V. They merely fed me then led me to a bathroom that I just discovered was behind me.  


The bathroom was tiny. It held a shower that barely held one person, a toilet and a sink that was broken in areas. No warm water. Afterwards they would tie me up again and leave. My mind was going insane. There was nothing to do, nothing to say, and nowhere to go. I wanted to so badly to be let out.  


‘What’s that?’ My eyes caught a sharp metal pipe that stuck out of the wall. I had never noticed before, because I was too focused on the window.  


“It’s too far.” I muttered. What if they came back and caught me trying to escape? Surely they would kill me then. Just then the door opened, revealing Jimin.  


“O-oh, hello.” I looked down at my feet. He was the one I was most nervous to be around. I wasn’t sure why exactly. Maybe it was the way he was gentle with me, or maybe it was the fear that he could snap. He was after all the one who had my life in his hands.  


“Hello sweetie. You look exhausted. Did you sleep?” He asked as he untied the rope.  


I shook my head, “No.”  


“Hmmm.” He hummed. “Well, I brought you dinner, so you should eat up.” I would almost go as far as to say that his smile was beautiful, if it wasn’t for the fact he has me hostage.  


“It’s already dinner time?” I looked out the window to see that sure enough, it was getting dark.  


He chuckled, “You really don’t have a sense of time down here, do you?” I shook my head again before munching on the bread that was served.  


I looked up at him slowly, “J-Jimin?”  


“Yes, sweetie?” He seemed happy that I had called him by name.  


“What time is it?”  


“It’s 8pm.”  


“Is that the same time Jungkook fed me last night?”  


“Why yes. We try to keep a routine to things. Don’t get too mad if we forget sometimes though.” He laughed at his own words. That told me something though. If there was a routine, that means there will always be some hours that they don’t check on me. That gives me something to work with.  


“How old are you?” I asked.  


“22…I heard you are 21?”  


“That’s correct.”  


“Ah, that means I’m older than you.” He was grinning. For what, I’m not sure.  


“Um…is there a reason why you…do what you do?” I questioned. I wasn’t really sure what I was trying to word. I just wanted to know more about them. Maybe with enough info, I could trick them into releasing me.  


Jimin snickered, “You mean, why do I kill?” I shrugged in response. “Hmm, let’s see…I was about 17 when I met Namjoon. Jin and Suga were already in the group with him. V and I went to school together since we were young. None of us met Jungkook until a couple years after that.” He seemed deep in thought as he spoke; recalling history, “Honestly, I didn’t exactly choose the life of killing. It’s not that I enjoy killing either, but I do enjoy the look on their faces when they beg to live.” His dark chuckles sent shivers down my spine. This man seemed to be the kindest out of the group, but the way he spoke about life said otherwise.  


“W-who do you like to see suffer?” I couldn’t look him in the eyes. Jimin grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him.  


“Those who cross me.” Maybe it was the cold stare or the blunt words, but I could now feel how cold and white my face had gone. I was in the lair of murderers, no justifying that. He patted my cheek softly, “You shouldn’t ask so many questions sweetie. Haven’t you ever heard ‘ignorance is bliss?’”  


“I may have heard it somewhere.”  


“I suggest you remember it. The less you know the longer you get to live.” I was tied to the chair once more.  


“Before you go,” I stopped him as he was leaving, “Can you at least tell me where I am?” He paused for a moment, shutting his eyes to think. Finally, he looked at me after what seemed forever.  


“We are currently on the outskirts of Seoul, deep in a forest.” With that, the door was closed.

 

No one came back for the rest of the night.  


‘They must be asleep.’ I thought to myself. ‘I can’t see anything though, so I’ll have to either move with the plan in the morning or afternoon.’ With those thoughts I drifted to sleep. It was uncomfortable but not as uncomfortable as the first night. The fact that I was getting used to sleeping in a chair, told me that I needed to leave soon. 

Like on cue, Suga came in the morning to feed me and let me do my business. Crazy as it may seem, I counted the minutes till the next person came in. It was Jimin. He followed what Suga did, then left. Then I counted again. The next person to come in was Jin. He followed the same procedure. Once again, I counted the painful minutes. Finally, V came in to feed me dinner. He left. Then I was left alone once more for the third night. It may seem insane to count all those minutes, but not only did it give me something to do, it proved what Jimin had said. I had exactly four hours between each interval. More than enough time to escape. 

“Jhope?” I called. He was the one to great me in the morning. “You look sleepy. Is anyone else awake?” Jhope looked over at me lazily.  


“Not yet. I was told last night that it was my turn to serve you in the morning. None of us are morning people.” He sprawled out on the floor, looking bored out of his mind.  


“I see. I’m sorry you were troubled by me.” Jhope pointed his sleek gun at me.  


“If that’s the case, why don’t I just kill you off right here?” The barrel pointing directly at my face scared me beyond words, so I didn’t move. He sighed. “It’s not like I can anyway. Unless you do something stupid that-is. Jimin is the only one who has the power to end you.”  


“What do you mean by stupid?”  


He shrugged, “If you leaped and tried to grab the gun, if you smart-mouthed me one too many times, if you tried to run.” He glared at me. “Why do you ask so many questions?” It was my turn to shrug.  


“I guess I’m just curious. I don’t exactly know anything. I’m stuck in this room with nothing to do. The little contact I get with humans makes me curious, I suppose.” He didn’t say anything, rather, he grabbed my dish, tied me up, and left without a word.  


‘Alone once I again.’ I thought. ‘Now’s my chance. If it’s just Jhope that’s awake, I might be able to escape.’ I shifted my gaze to the broken pipe. ‘And you are going to help me.’ I slowly started to shift around in my chair. It wasn’t nailed into the ground so it started to skid, scraping against the floor.  


‘I have to be quiet!’ I screamed in my mind. Slowly, I tried making as small as noise as possible, moving the chair closer and closer to the pipe. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest.  


Ba-bump, Ba-bump, Ba-bump  


Any moment they could return. They could surprise me, or maybe they would hear something. I started to get a cold sweat. Finally, I made it to the pipe. It was lower to the ground than I thought. So I took what little chance I had and tipped the chair back and forth until it fell over.  


SMACK!  


My head slammed into the wall as the chair slid down, finally hitting the floor. I scooted as much I could till the pipe was at wrist length. I could suddenly hear someone walking around the room above me. It made me more paranoid. I scooted carefully up and down, over and over again as the pipe cut into the rope.  


‘No need to rush Lucy. Take your time. There’s no room for mistakes.’ I kept repeating to myself. Then I felt the pressure release. I gasped in surprise as my hand was freed from the restraints. I carefully untied the other rope, then the ones at my feet.  


I was free.  


I slowly crept my way to the door, listening to the footsteps above me. I was surprised when the door knob turned in my hand. It opened.  


‘They never locked it?’ I smiled to myself, confusion present but vanished quickly; The feeling of adrenaline rushing through my heart. I made my way up the stairs carefully, making sure to step on the outer-rim of the stairs—I didn’t want to make it creak. When I reached the head of the stairs, I realized that I was in a mini hallway. I could see light; a living room close by. There were two white, leather couches diagonal of each other. The room looked open and bright. Nothing like a lair. To the right, I could slightly see that there was a dining table on wood that was right next to the living room. Besides the mini dining room, everything else sat on plush carpet. I slowly crawled closer to the living room.  


‘A living room means there’s a front door close by.’ As I inched closer, I could see a mop of black hair on the couch. I held in my gasp. It was Suga. There was nowhere to hide in this hall, so I kept myself frozen.  


“Hyung!” That was V’s voice. “You just woke up, why are you just laying there?” I could hear Suga sigh.  


“Because, I didn’t want to be woken up. We aren’t doing anything today, so you guys should have just let me sleep.” He grumbled as he got up. They were both standing up now. I could clearly see both of their faces, but neither one of them had notice me yet.  


‘Stay still.’ I warned myself. There was no turning back now.  


“Suga, don’t scold V. He has a point. You can’t sleep the whole day. Now both of you come over and help me figure out where are little _friend _has traveled to now.” That was Jin’s voice. Suga and V both turned and walked towards the dining area. Just as I was about to crawl farther, Namjoon jumped into view from another couch and walked casually past me. One arm was in the air as I almost had a heart attack at the sight.  
__

____

“He’s not in Gwangju anymore?” He asked.  


“No, it appears he has traveled and I can’t figure out where. We’re missing something here.” Jin sighed. As Namjoon left my sight, I gently placed my hand back on the ground, grateful for not being caught. I slowly crawled forward, leaning to the right to see that the four of them were sitting at the table looking intensely at a map. I could see the front door to my left.  


‘This is my only chance. I need to make a run for it.’ I could feel my body trembling but I mustered up all the courage I could. I got into a running position and made a bolt to the front door. I could hear a couple of gasps behind me as I twisted the door knob. ‘I’m free!’ I thought until I felt two arms wrap around my waist, lifting me up, and swing me away from the door.  


“Woah, woah, woah there.” I heard a laugh. It was Jhope. “And just where do you think you’re going.” He may have been laughing, but his voice held something menacing in it. I didn’t know what to say.  


“Got nothing to say?” V asked as he slapped me across my face. “You were trying to escape weren’t you?” I shook slightly in Jhope’s arms.  


“What a moron.” I looked up to see that Jungkook was sipping at a hot drink at the kitchen counter. “Did you really think we wouldn’t catch you?”  


“I just wanted to go home?” I whimpered. V grabbed my face tightly.  


He mocked me, “Aww, the little princess didn’t like her room so she decided to run away.” He was the loudest and had the worst outburst out of all of them.  


“I have family!” I shouted in his face. That only made everyone in the room laugh.  


“I have family! I have family!” V mocked. “Yeah, well I had family once, too. They’re dead now.” I was so shocked by how blunt he had said that, that I almost didn’t notice when he grabbed a fist full of my hair.  


“And just how did you plan on getting back to your precious family, hmm?” he questioned. I had no words for him. “Exactly. There is no way, you stupid foreigner.” He pushed the gun directly to my forehead. “I should end you right now.”  


“Stop. That’s enough V.” Namjoon hadn’t even looked up from when the commotion started. “Jimin, she’s your problem. You fix it.” I heard some rustling come from the couch, where his head popped up. How long has he been there?  


“Yeah, yeah. I got it.” The once gentle smile was replaced with a scornful scowl. I gulped as he approached me. “You’ve been very bad sweetie. Time to learn your place.” He threw me over his shoulder as he spoke to me. Every step he took down the stairs filled me with dread. I didn’t dare speak nor look at the six other men watching.

I felt my back smack onto the floor, hard. It made me wince for a second, but I quickly flinched at the sight of Jimin’s face. He tsked at me as he circled around me.  


“Have I not been nice to you, Lucy? Have I not fed you, kept a roof over your head? You’ve only been here three days and you are already causing my friends trouble.” He bent down to get eye-level with me.  


“I-I’m sorry.” I turned my gaze towards the floor. “I just wanted to go home.” He hummed in response.  


“I know you do, and I got to say, I’m impressed you manage to get out of the ropes.” His gaze trailed off to the metal pipe, causing me to gulp. “You’re pretty smart…stealthy, too. I honestly didn’t hear you come up the stairs.” He was walking to the pipe as he spoke.  


“W-what are you going to do now? Will you kill me?” I couldn’t hide the fear in my voice. Jimin just chuckled quietly. He had yanked the pipe out of the wall, checking to make sure nothing else pokey was sticking out.  


“Oh no. I don’t want to kill you, Lucy. But I do have to punish you.” His face turned into a smirk as he walked back towards me with the pipe.  


“Punish me?”  


“Oh yes, and I do want to punish you.” He gave me a gentle pat on the head. “Now bend over.”  


“W-what? No!” I stammered. He didn’t look pleased.  


“I said bend over.” He grabbed my arm forcing me to bend over his knee. I couldn’t fathom what was happening until I felt the metal pipe swat my butt harshly. I gasped, crying out in pain. I could feel the tears brim at my eyes. It wasn’t until the fifth slap that they started to free-fall down my face. Pat after pat after pat. He didn’t stop. I couldn’t even feel the slap anymore. My whole body had gone numb, but my screams of pain didn’t. I was sure that the others could hear me from upstairs. The pain didn’t stop coming. I had lost count of the slaps at about twenty. Luckily, they died down quickly after.  


My body slumped to the floor as he finished. He pushed the hair out of my face as I heaved, trying to catch my breath.  


“Now,” He started, “Are you going to try to escape again?” I shook my head no as best as I could. “That’s a good girl.” He sat there stroking my head as I calmed myself. My butt never stopping stinging. I knew I wouldn’t be able to sit for days. After a couple of minutes, he got up, taking the pipe with him.  


“I won’t tie you up anymore. You are free to roam this room and the bathroom as you please. But Lucy,” He walked to the door. “If you try to escape again, I will kill you.” The door was slammed shut again, this time I could hear the lock latch shut. I was left on the floor in pain, trapped for who knows how long.  


It’s a lost cause.


	5. Love is Not Over

It had been a week since the “punishment.” They now started coming at irregular times—my tactic of counting minutes was useless. Suga was now the one to come most often. I didn’t mind seeing him. He was quiet and didn’t trouble me. Jin would come in often as well. He was the gentlest when he spoke to me. Somehow, he gave me comfort. I didn’t see much of Jimin for that week. I had no idea what he was doing, but I could only hope he didn’t come back.  


“There’s still a bruise.” I mumbled, looking at the giant purple mark. I was hiding out in the bathroom that had been filled with a few hygienic essentials. Besides my few new items, there was nothing to do besides explore the same room over and over again.  
Click  


I peeked my head out to see V closing the door with a grimace on his face.  


“I haven’t seen you for a while.” I spoke softly, hiding behind the broken bathroom door. V only scoffed.  


“What, did you miss me? I didn’t come around cause, I didn’t want to. The only reason I’m here is because, the others are on a mission and they needed someone to watch you.” He sat down, leaning against the door.  


“You don’t have to watch me. It’s not like I can go anywhere.” I muttered, coming to sit down next to the food he had brought for me.  


“After that last stunt you pulled, there’s no way we could leave you alone.” He glared at me. It made sense though. There’s no way they could trust me now.  


“Well…can we talk?” I asked slowly.  


V laughed, “Talk? Why would we talk?”  


“I’m stuck here all by myself. It gets lonely.”  


“That’s your problem. Not mine.”  


“It kind of is your problem. You guys kidnapped me.”  


“You shouldn’t have been snooping.”  


“I was curious!”  


“You were an idiot!” Every sentence led to us getting louder and louder, until V was screaming at me. His fist slammed into the door behind him, leading it to rattle under his wrath. “Dammit! I hate people like you!”  


I was shocked, “M-me?”  


“Yes, YOU! You’re so damn annoying. I bet you had the perfect life, too! You lived in a nice house, had a loving family, and had all the money in the world! So what happened, huh? You get bored with your perfect life and decide to move to Korea to satisfy your selfish greedy needs! I bet you’re the type of girl who EXPECTS the guys to pay for everything cause you can’t be bothered with trivial things. You privilege people piss me off. You have everything handed to you through a silver spoon and never dare to blink an eye at anyone else who appears to be beneath you. You disgust me. You’re a disgusting pig!”  


I could feel the tears streaming down my face at every insult he threw at me, but it wasn’t sadness I felt…it was anger. I could feel my blood boil in my veins. Tick. Tock. My brain was a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at any minute. And explode I did. I threw the plate of food like a Frisbee at his head before flinging the fork along with growls of rage.  


“You think my life is perfect?” I stood up. “You don’t know a thing about me! My father died when I was only four years old. FOUR YEARS OLD! My mother was left to work two jobs to support my brother and I, but do you think that was enough? Of course not! Our house was tiny, there was never warm water, and sometimes we worked without power.” Everything was coming out of me at once, “When I was seven I decided to run a lemonade stand to raise money to buy a new doll. The neighbor boys decided to trash the stand and steal all the lemonade. My brother chased them down and beat them up, but the damage was done. I could never do a lemonade sale again. But do you know what made things worse? The money I had raised was more than enough to buy ten dolls, but mom decided to use it instead to help pay the car bill. I never got the doll.” Tears were streaming down my face. I wasn’t sure if I was understandable at this point, but I didn’t care. “I never resented my mother more than in that moment. You know what? I still in ways resent my mother! Sure, she gave up everything to help my brother and I, but when I needed her the most, she closed herself off! I was alone!” The thoughts of her depressed came to mind, replacing the memory of the doll money. I slumped to the floor, hands over my eyes as I cried. My words were jumbled, scenes I was talking about flashed before me. I never realized I held this emotion towards my mom, but even so, all I wanted to do was be held by her and tell her how sorry I was for being so selfish.  


“You shouldn’t feel that way towards your mom.” V muttered. “It sounds like she did everything she could for you.” I looked up at him through tear-stained eyes.  


“You should be grateful you had a mother.” V was looking off towards the window. His expression told me he was in pain. “My father died when I was about eight. I remember him always coming home late, but just in time to tuck me into bed. I remember the loving looks my parents would give each other, and I remember hiding my face whenever they kissed. When my dad died, my mom acted like it never happened. We moved to a smaller house and she continued to work at the preschool. I remember trying to ask her about dad, but she would never talk about him. She almost acted like he never existed. It made me angry. One day, when I was twelve, I lashed out at her. I told her I hated her and that I wished it was her that had died. She didn’t cry in front of me. Instead, she made me dinner, hugged me, and told me that she loved me.” Tears were brimming V’s eyes. “That night, I saw her crying in her room, over a picture of my dad. She said, “My love, I don’t know if I can do this anymore. Life is so hard without you. Our son keeps asking about you, but I can’t bear to talk about you. It hurts too much. He told me he hated me, today. I don’t blame him. What should I do?” I walked back to my room feeling guilty. I never felt so horrible. When I woke up the next morning, mom acted like nothing happened. She smiled at me with the same amount of love that she always has. Because,” V looked at me, a tear was threatening to fall, “No matter how much you hurt your mother, she will never stop loving you. A mother’s love is stronger than any love out there.” I wanted to hold him.  


“V…”  


“Mom took me out for dinner for my thirteenth birthday. We didn’t have the money to do so, but she didn’t care. She took me out and ordered all my favorites. Far more than I could ever handle. I remember that being the happiest moment in my life. Then…we walked home. It was late. I was holding my mother’s soft hand. We were stopped by a hooded man. He was screaming to my mother to give him all our money. I was scared and helpless. Mom gave him everything she had in her purse. You know what that bastard did? He shot her anyway! That fucking bastard killed my mother even after she cooperated!” His tears were streaming down his face as he yelled. “My mom grabbed my hand and told me that I was the sign of her and my father’s love. She apologized for never talking about him. I tried telling her how sorry I was. I tried telling her how much I loved her…but I don’t know if she heard me before she died.”  


“V…I’m so sorry.” I was crying with him now. “She must have heard you V. Like you said, a mother’s love is the strongest kind of love. She probably already forgave you before that.” V was silent. His expression was unreadable and his body was still. The only sign of life was the tears that continued to leak from his eyes. V got up quietly taking the broken plate with him.  


“If you get the chance to see your mom again, tell her you love her. You’ll regret not telling her otherwise.” The door closed softly behind him, and I was left there heartbroken. I was heartbroken for myself, but mostly for V. I could see why he was always so quick to lash out. I had no idea what he had to endure, and my heart ached to hold him and tell him that it was going to be ok, but I knew it was too late. V had chosen his path a long time ago.

 

It had just reached midnight when I heard the boys come through the door. The only reason I knew it was midnight was because I could hear the brand new clock upstairs chime. Their feet shuffled and I could muffle out a few voices, but they were speaking too softly for me to grasp words. Just then Jimin opened the door. I was laying on the floor surprised when I saw him. He had a frown on his face, the bags under his eyes gave it away that he was tired.  


“Hello sweetie. Were you sleeping?” He asked as he sat down, leaving the door open to shine some light in here.  


I shook my head no, “I haven’t seen you since...I haven’t seen you in a while.” He chuckled at my change of words.  


“I’ve been rather busy with some things. I would have come sooner, but I couldn’t find time. Taehyung is rather quiet.”  


I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, “Taehyung?”  


He snickered lightly, “I forgot. We’re still going by code names. Taehyung is V’s real name. Don’t tell him, I told you.” I sat up in surprise.  


“His name is Taehyung?” Jimin nodded, humming. Sleepiness was coating his face.  


“He seemed pretty troubled when we got home; like he had been crying.”  


“I-I didn’t make him cry!” I defending myself. I was afraid I was going to be punished again.  


Jimin shook his head, “I know you didn’t. The last time I saw Taehyung cry was at his mom’s funeral. That was also the day I saw Taehyung break someone’s nose.” Jimin giggled slightly from the memory.  


“You must have known V-I mean Taehyung, for a long time.”  


Jimin nodded once more, “Yes. I’ve known Taehyung since middle school. I remember the day he came to school. He was always so chipper. He was eccentric and loud. No one dared to make eye contact with him…well…except me. Shortly after, his smile disappeared. Rumors spread that his mother died. He avoided everyone after that. Then one day, I offered him an animal cracker. I didn’t realize that those were special snacks his mom and him would share, until he started crying. That was the first time I ever saw him cry. We stuck with each other ever since then. We joined BTS together as well.”  


“BTS?” I questioned.  


“That’s the name of our group. It’s what we’ve always called ourselves.” He shrugged.  


“So, Taehyung joined BTS cause his mom died?” I suggested.  


“Kind of. That was part of it, but he mostly joined because of his aunt.” Taehyung never mentioned an aunt. Jimin must have saw my confusion because, he continued, “With no parents, Taehyung was forced to live with his aunt. She was a bitch. Taehyung wasn’t allowed to hang out with me past 8pm. He did all the cooking and cleaning for her selfish ass, and he even had to get a job. I hated that woman. Taehyung did, too. One day she went too far. She called Taehyung’s father worthless and his mother a whore. She wouldn’t stop with the insults and Tae…well…”  


My face was white, “Well what?”  


“Nothing...short time later he moved in with me, taking the few things he still had. During the move, he discovered some letters that his mother had written to him, but the stupid hag had kept from him. Tae hasn’t looked at the letters to this day. He has them stashed in his room, but he never has opened them. I think he’s afraid to see what she wrote. He’s afraid that he’ll disappoint her.” Jimin looked sad talking about it. “Don’t think bad about Taehyung. I know it may not seem like it but he’s a good person. We’ve all gone through our own personal hell.”  


“You’re asking me to dismiss the fact that you guys are murderers and kidnap people.” I wheezed out, shocked from what I was hearing and confused from what I wasn’t.  


Jimin scolded, “You act as if we go around picking victims off the street to murder. We kill those who want to kill us. If we can avoid it we do, but sometimes it is inevitable. Killing is just part of the job. We have standards though. We don’t off anyone deemed innocent. This is just a matter of revenge on him.”  


“Him?”  


Jimin tsked, “I’ve said too much already. Anyway, the only reason I told you this was because, I could see on Taehyung’s face that he told you about his mom. I figured you might be interested in how he got into BTS.”  


“You didn’t really explain how, though?” I pointed out.  


“He got in to find his mother’s murderer and end him.” Jimin’s expression was dark.  


“I-I see…” So much information was thrown at me. I didn’t know how much more I could handle. Jimin chuckled, rubbing his eyes.  


“I think you’ve heard enough. Just…don’t think bad of Taehyung. He was really close to his mother, and he’s gone through a lot. Like I said, we all have.” With that he got up. I didn’t realize I had stood up with him until I saw the smirk on his face.  


“W-wait, Jimin, how did you end up joining BTS?” I received no answer, rather, I received a pat on the head.  


“I find myself wondering that, too, sometimes. Sleep well sweetie.” He kissed the top of my head then left, locking the door behind him.  


I slept that night thinking about Jimin and Taehyung. I was puzzled by what could have possibly happen between the time Taehyung was living with his aunt and living with Jimin. The more I absorbed the info, the more I felt bad for Taehyung. No one is going to come out of an environment like that, and be normal. His aunt was an awful human being, and his mother sounded like the only sound anchor Taehyung had left.  


I made up my mind. I wasn’t scared of Taehyung. I didn’t think of him as a bad person. Rather, I felt sorry for him. He fell down a path he shouldn’t have.  


Poor Taehyung.


	6. Where Did you Come From?

I woke up the next day to sunlight shining on me. I’ve been sleeping on the floor for a week now. It hurt my back so bad, but I couldn’t really complain. It’s not like they would do anything about it. I guess I should be grateful that they give me shampoo for showers because, they never gave me a blanket or pillow to sleep with. I wasn’t too cold since it was close to summer, but if they kept me here till winter…  


“I wonder if anyone misses me?” I mumbled. If I’ve been gone for a week, shouldn’t they be looking for me now? Does Ji-ae miss me? Are any of them concerned? I wonder if I’m on the news or something.  


‘The sun looks so bright out today.’ I thought to myself. ‘It must be a nice day.’ Just then the door opened to reveal Jin.  


“Good morning, Lucy.” He smiled warmly at me.  


“Good morning Jin.” I smiled weakly. Jin was the nicest out of the bunch. It was a bit startling to think about how he killed that man with no regrets. “I guess you’re here to feed me?”  


He shook his head, “Not quite. We have a surprise for you after you finish your meal.”  


“A s-surprise?” I stuttered. The only thought that crossed my mind was death. I think Jin noticed my fear.  


He replied, “Don’t worry. You’ll enjoy this surprise. To be honest it’s a nice surprise for us as well.” I nodded finishing my breakfast a bit faster than I expected. Perhaps I was excited for this surprise. Maybe I would be set free?  


“Oh? Finished already?” He chuckled, “Then come with me.” Jin grabbed my hand and led me out of the room. I still remember the layout of the place. The living room was so clean. I saw five of the boys sitting on the couches. Jungkook was at the kitchen counter drinking something again.  


“Look who it is.” Jungkook snickered. All eyes were on me now, and I was petrified.  


Jin spoke first, “Alright, I brought her. Now we can begin.” Namjoon stood up with a bright smile on his face.  


“Excellent. Lucy, come with me.” I was frozen in my spot as Namjoon extended his hand towards me. I felt small once more in front of all these men.  


“W-where are we going?” I stuttered. Namjoon grabbed my hand gently and pulled me to the front door.  


“Not far at all.” As he opened the door, he pushed me gently outside. The sun was blinding. I could feel it’s warmth consuming me. I found myself desiring to bask in it. My eyes adjusted slowly to the light, and that’s when I gasped at the sight in front of me. I was outside. I could see in front of me a dirt road that led into the forest. There was a car parked some ways to the right. There were so many trees around us; all of them greener than I’ve ever seen on a tree. We really were in the forest. It reminded me of home in a way…home. I felt myself crumble to the ground…then the tears started to fall.  


“What’s wrong, Lucy?” It was Taehyung who had asked. I looked up at his curious eyes. His question seemed so harmless.  


“I…It looks like home.” I felt the sobs burst from my throat and I covered my face as I let all my emotions pour out. The seven men behind me stood awkwardly; they had no idea what to do. Taehyung patted my back clumsily.  


“I know you won’t believe me when I say this,” Jin started, “But we don’t mean you harm. No one here wants to kill you Lucy. Try to understand why we can’t let you leave. If anyone knew about us we would be in trouble.”  


“I wouldn’t tell anyone.” I managed to blurt as the tears kept coming.  


“That’s stupid. Of course you would.” Suga retorted. “Why wouldn’t you tell people about your kidnapping? At any rate, it’s not a risk any of us are willing to take. Like I said in the beginning, we should have killed you a long time ago.”  


“In a way I agree with Suga.” Namjoon said. “Especially after you to tried to escape, but it’s not our place. Jimin is the one who caught you, so Jimin decided your fate. It’s just our code of conduct.”  


Jhope cleared his throat, “We decided that it might be best to give you a day outside. Get some fresh air, soak in the sun. We haven’t done that in a while either. We’re always so busy.” I looked up to see the pout on his face. I would have giggled at the sweet sight if it wasn’t for the situation at hand. Jimin crouched in front of me. He slowly wiped my tears away as he spoke.  


“We’re giving you this one day to enjoy yourself alongside us, so please don’t cry.”  


Namjoon clapped his hands, “Then it is settled. We will have a break. Suga will take the first watch of you. Unfortunately, we can’t let you out of our sight.” I nodded meekly, my tears dried up. The other boys scattered about playing tag, kickball, and other things. Suga just sat by me in the grass.  
“If you want to go play you can.” He mumbled.  


I shook my head, “No thank you. I’d rather watch. I haven’t sat in grass for a long time so I’d like to enjoy it.” He just nodded. Silence enveloped us calmly.  


“Suga…if you were the one who had caught me—”  


“I would have killed you on the spot.” He interrupted. His answer didn’t surprise me.  


“But…why though?”  


“I have to protect my family.” He shrugged.  


“Family? You mean the other guys?” I looked back at them laughing.  


“Yep. Just because they’re not blood, doesn’t mean they aren’t family. They’re the closest people I have in my life and I’d rather not lose them.”  


“I see…if you don’t mind me asking, how did you meet them? How did you join?” He wasn’t even looking at me; he had a bored look on his face.  


“There’s not much to tell. I was orphaned when I was about nine. I don’t remember much about my parents. All I can remember is my father dropping me off at a park and driving off. I couldn’t find my way home. Sooner or later I wound up in alley. I met Jin there. He had a similar situation. One of his parents had abandoned him; he was ten at the time. Jin is actually the oldest out our group, by the way. I’m the second oldest.”  


“I’m so sorry.” I mumbled. I was at a loss for words.  


“I don’t need your sorry. I don’t want your pity.” He grunted. “Jin and I did just fine. We quickly learned how to pick-pocket. We turned to live of thievery. We avoided roads were bigger criminals stayed and we lived off the street. We usually would steal cash then go to the supermarket and buy sandwiches. They were the best.” There was a small smile on Suga’s face.  


“Was it a good memory for you?”  


His gaze fell on me, “In a way, yes. I shared a lot of time and money with Jin. Whenever we got caught we would run for miles and laugh. We didn’t get caught very often, though. It wasn’t an easy life, but it was our life. I’m glad we were on the streets. Being in an orphanage sounds like hell.”  


“What about your parents or Jin’s parents?” I insisted.  


“Never met them. They didn’t want us, so we didn’t want them. I have no idea what they’re doing now. Sometimes I wonder if they ever think of me but…” His words trailed off. “What about you?”  


“Me?” I jumped a little at the question.  


“Yeah, what was it like to have loving parents?” Something in his eyes churned my stomach.  


“I wouldn’t know what it’s like to have a father. He died when I was four. I was left with my older brother and mother. My grandma would help take care of us whenever she could. It was a struggle. I became very close with my brother. He always took care of me because, mom was always busy working two jobs. I think I took their love for granted honestly.” I chuckled bitterly. “You see, when my grandma died, my mom went into a depression. I was angry at her. I know I shouldn’t have been, but I was. I needed her. My brother dropped out of college to help her. I was so angry that she allowed him to do that. It set his future back after all…something he worked so hard for. He and I got into a fight about it, too. That’s when we stopped being so close.” My gaze stayed firm on the boys playing, my hand tight around the blades of grass beneath me. “The true is, I needed him. I needed them both. I missed grandma, too, but no one was there for me. I was angry at both of them for leaving me behind. I was such a horrible person. I was always put first as a kid, but when mom needed the most help, I was angry that my pain didn’t come first. Maybe that’s why my brother was so angry with me? He was so willing to put everything aside to take care of those he cared for…I wasn’t. I was selfish.” I choked on a sob.  


“It sounds like you realized how wrong your feelings were.” Suga pointed out. His head was resting in his hand as he looked at me. It was so easy to talk to him. His aura was so collected and even though the situation at hand was not good, he kept me so calm.  


“Well, I didn’t back then. I was too blind. I feel so bad now. In a way, you remind me of my brother, Suga. You both are willing to put everything on the line to protect your family. It’s a trait I admire.” I smiled through the few tears that traveled down my face.  


“If that’s how you feel, you should work on bettering yourself. Live a life without regrets.”  


I nodded in agreement, “Suga—”  


“It’s Yoongi. That’s my real name.” He interrupted once more.  


“Yoongi, do you regret anything?”  


“I don’t regret any of my decisions.” Yoongi was focused on Jin now. “I don’t regret stealing, I don’t regret joining BTS, and I don’t regret killing.”  


“None of it?”  


“I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it wasn’t for all the crap I did back then.” He laid back down in the grass. “Someone is calling you over.” I tore my gaze from him and saw Jimin. He was smiling, waving me over.  


“You should go to him.” Yoongi didn’t open his eyes.  


“I will, but Yoongi…I hope you get to meet your parents one day. Maybe you could talk to them and tell them about yourself. I want you to know where you come from, but even more so, I want them to know who you are. I want you to have one more thing to not regret.” Yoongi didn’t reply to me, so I got up and walked to Jimin.  


I didn’t notice the smile on Yoongi’s face.


	7. Home

“Are you enjoying yourself?” Jimin asked me. After finishing my talk with Yoongi, Jimin called me over.  


“I am. I missed the fresh air. The sun feels even bright right now.”  


“That’s because, it’s already noon.” Jin came up laughing. He had dirt all over his clothes.  


“Hyung, what were you doing?” This was the first time I heard Jimin’s laugh—not the laugh back at the abandon building, but a genuine laugh.  


“Jungkook wanted to wrestle.” Jin whined. “He’s too strong and dragged me around in the dirt.” Jin looked at me.  


“Did you have a good time talking to Suga?”  


I nodded, “Yes, Yoongi, was very nice.” Both men just gawked at me. I was puzzled by the looks on their faces. “W-what?”  


“Yoongi?” Jimin mumbled. Jin’s face lit up.  


“Yoongi told you about us, didn’t he?” I was nervous now.  


“N-not much. I-I mean, he told me about you being abandon and s-stuff.”  


Jin laughed,” I see. Well my real name Seok Jin, but please just call me Jin.”  


“O-oh, ok.” I mumbled.  


“I can’t believe he opened up to you so fast. Yoongi is the toughest cookie to crack.” Jin laughed more. “I mean, it’s not much, but still. Yoongi is very private.”  


“Jimin, come wrestle me.” Jungkook whined, ending the conversation between the three of us.  


“Aish, this kid!” Jimin laughed running off towards Jungkook.  


I looked at Jin, nervous to bring up the topic again, “J-Jin, have you ever met your parents?” Jin smiled warmly back at me.  


“Yes, actually. When I was sixteen, I went to the park to look for a good victim to steal from. I heard my mom laughing. You may think that sounds crazy, that I could remember such a thing, but it is true. I couldn’t recognize her face. She had cut her hair, and her face showed aging. Not much though. My father was there, however, I couldn’t recognize his face either. I guess you never forget your mom’s voice, though. That’s when I noticed the little girl they were playing with.”  


“A little girl?” I was puzzled by the distant smile on his face.  


Jin nodded, “She was my sister. Here I was abandon at the age of ten, but there she stood; my sister. She couldn’t have been older than seven at the time.”  


I gasped a little, “I-I’m so sorry. That must have been hard to see.” Jin chuckled darkly.  


“What? That after abandoning me all by myself, they decided to have another child? That they chose my sister over me?” Jin looked at me darkly. This was the first time I saw something so sad in his eyes. “You have no idea how much I resented them. Six years, I walked the streets with no mother or father to protect me. I wanted to run up and scream at them for leaving me. I wanted them to see what they had done to their own son…but alas, I opted to walk away.”  


“Walk away?” I furrowed my eyebrows.  


“When I saw my baby sister smile, all I wanted to do was hold her. You see, I could care less about my parents. They didn’t want me, and I don’t want them. But my sister never got to know me, and I never got to be a big brother. I lost so much time with her already. I wish that one day we can meet. I want to know who she is.”  


“Why don’t you go see her?” I questioned. “Surely, you could go find her.”  


Jin laughed, “How do you tell someone that you are a murderer?” I froze. I didn’t have an answer for him. “Exactly. Don’t get me wrong, joining BTS saved me. It saved Yoongi…it saved all of us, but we don’t live the lifestyle of saints.”  


“You could always leave.”  


Jin shook his head, “No way. I owe my life to Namjoon and the others. You don’t get it. Yoongi and I never had a roof over our head. We lived our entire life off the streets, off of stealing. You know how we got an education? We didn’t. Namjoon was the one who taught us. Yoongi and I have known Namjoon for eight years now? Something like that. He was still in high school at the time, but he was a genius. I don’t remember how the three of us became friends, but we did. He taught us after school. It was…wonderful. Then Namjoon told us one day how he was bent on getting revenge against a guy. He wanted him dead…we would do anything for Namjoon.” Jin looked so calm, “Namjoon didn’t just teach us, he fed us and allowed us to shower at his place from time to time. He cared for us when he could. It was hard, I’ll admit. His father was always watching him.”  


“I don’t understand, though. Why does Namjoon want revenge? Why did you guys join?” I was confused, the more I was told the more I wanted to know.  


“He wants the man who murdered his mother dead. You will never understand, but this man is very dangerous. He is the head of a lot of different organizations. He has a lot of connections and has done more unimaginable things than you could ever dream of. In one way or the other, we’ve all been on the other side of the sword when facing this man. For Namjoon, it was his dead mother…Even if it means killing, none of us care.”  


I gasped, “That’s awful!”  


Jin shrugged. “Life is a game, Lucy. One you don’t want to play. When you fight against it, it will tear you apart.”  


“J-Jin?” Jin smiled bitterly at me.  


“The only way to survive this game, is to kill. Kill or be killed. We’re all in this now, and we must finish this game. One way or another.” I felt the tears pricking at my eyes.  


“You can’t think of life that way!” I yelled at him. The boys turned to stare at us. “All of you just think of this as a joke. Life is precious! You’re right, it can be taken away from you so quickly. The people you care about disappear before you know it, and life gives you a bad hand. You end up in situations you never knew were possible, but even so…” I was thinking about grandma’s death, I was thinking about being kidnapped, and I was thinking about them. “Even so, you can’t just throw your life away! Living your life every day like it doesn’t matter is wrong. There are people out there that still care about you, who want you to live. They want to see you succeed. I know that t-that’s hard to believe, but it’s the truth. Just look at all of you. You all found each other for a reason, right? Don’t live your life waiting to die, but live it like you could at any moment. Live it to the fullest and become the people you want to be.”  


I was angry. At who, I don’t know. I just felt so troubled that Jin looked at life so indifferently.  


I grabbed a fist of Jin’s shirt, “Live your life like you can’t wait to see your sister’s face.” I could see a tear at the corner of Jin’s eyes, but all he did was smile.  
Jin rubbed my head, “Thank you. Your words mean a lot to me, but it doesn’t change anything. We will still continue down our path, and none of us will rest until we see that man dead.”  


“Alright, that’s enough serious talk!” Namjoon stepped in, “We are here to enjoy ourselves. There will be no more talk about business. Do we all understand each other?” Namjoon was smiling, but his voice said otherwise. He was very stern. At his command, everyone turned and continue to play. Even Jin left my side to wrestle with Namjoon. Seeing them all like this made me forget that I was kidnapped.  


‘kidnapped.’ I turned my eyes to the road towards the forest. I didn’t realize it, but I started walking towards it. It was mere curiosity that drove me to walk towards it. It was the sense of freedom that gave me the courage to walk a bit faster. The air smelt so fresh, and the wind felt so good. I could hear the tree leaves rustling. It reminded me of the days that Behn and I would climb trees, playing hide and seek.  


BANG  


I froze in my footsteps, crouching at the sound of the gun going off. I turned to see that Jhope was the one that had shot the gun.  


“And just where do you think you’re going?” Came Yoongi’s menacing voice.  


“I-I wasn’t trying to escape!” I put my hands up in surrender, but Jungkook just grabbed my hair, forcing my head to the ground. Taehyung had grabbed my arms, tying them behind my back.  


“Lies, lies, lies.” Taehyung scolded. His glare was terrifying.  


“I swear! I just wanted to see.” I pleaded. I saw the pitiful look Jin gave me, and it made me feel guilty for some reason.  


“I got her.” Jimin mumbled, lifting me with ease and carrying me back into the house.  


“I guess fun time is over.” Yoongi sighed.

I was slammed onto the basement floor once more. I moaned in pain.  


“Do you think I’m an easy man?” Jimin growled.  


“What? N-no. I swear I don’t know what came over me.” I sat up the best I could to look at his face. “I just was reminiscing about my brother. We used to climb trees when we were kids. I wasn’t trying to escape. Please believe me.” Jimin scared me. He was always so gentle, but the last punishment he gave me was enough for me to never want to cross him.  


Jimin sighed, kneeling in front of me, “I believe you. That doesn’t change the fact that I need to punish you.” My eyes widened in fear.  


“Please no.” I whimpered.  


Jimin hummed, “My hyungs have been very kind to you, have they not? Jin cooks your meals, Yoongi even talked to you about his past. Hell, even Taehyung did. We’ve all been doing everything we can do make you feel more comfortable around us, yet you still cause us trouble.”  


“If you feel that way, why don’t you just release me!” I shouted, “Or kill me like Yoongi wanted you to!” Jimin pointed his gun directly between my eyes.  


“Is that what you want? To die? I’ll grant it for you.” Jimin glared at me. “For someone who talks about the value of life, you sure throw yours away pretty quickly.”  


“I-I—” I couldn’t find the words. Jimin cocked his gun. I shut my eyes in fear. I felt the gun move down to my chest, pushing against where my heart was.  


“I told you, I don’t want to kill you. I’m not like Yoongi. I don’t like having casualties. If I can keep someone alive, I choose to do so, but if you want to die…”  


“I don’t want to die!” I shouted. “I just don’t understand.”  


“Don’t you remember me telling you, “Ignorance is bliss.”” Jimin put his gun away, slowly. “You’re starting to know a lot about us. You know our pasts, you know our age, what we look like, and now you know our reasons for killing.”  


“I still don’t know yours.” I whispered.  


Jimin smiled, “And I don’t plan on telling you. I just want you to know that we aren’t the bad guys. I wish you could see that what I’m doing is what’s best for you. I don’t want to kill you, but I can’t let you leave either. So my only option is to keep you prisoner.” Jimin pulled me into a hug. I felt so scared, so stiff in his arms. But I can’t lie, his warmth felt nice, too. It’s been way to long since I felt the warmth of a hug.  


His voice was very soothing. “I’ll try to make this place easier for you. I’ll find a spare blanket and pillow, and I’ll try to let you come out more often. But you have to obey. You can’t keep leaving my sight.” He held me so tightly. Something told me that Jimin had a fear of losing things. For what reason, I don’t know.  


“I’m sorry.” Was all I could say. Jimin chuckled, untying me and leaving me on the floor. He left the room for a split second. When he came back, he had a paddle in his hands.  


“J-Jimin.” I stuttered, backing away.  


“I told you, you need to be punished.” He bent me over his knee and began the same punishment he had done last week. I knew he could see the bruises that were still there, but that didn’t stop him from swatting as hard as he could. Once more, I knew the other six guys could hear my wails of pain. I begged Jimin to stop, but he continued. It felt like an eternity before the suffering ended. It wasn’t until about forty that he stopped this time. I panted, pleading for no more. Jimin laid me down, leaving with the paddle. He came back once more with a pillow and blanket.  


“I’ll see what we can do about possibly getting you a bed or something, but you have to earn it.” Jimin told me. He tucked me in, caressing my face as the tears fell from my eyes. The pain was unbearable. Suddenly, Jimin kissed my tear-stained cheeks.  


“Don’t cry. Hopefully, this is the last time I’ll have to punish you.” Jimin continued to pepper my face with small kisses. It worked. It stopped my tears. I was so shocked. I’ve never had someone kiss me so gently before.  


“Jimin?”  


“Go to sleep now. I’ll be gone tomorrow, but someone else will be here to keep you company.” Jimin left, locking the door. It was only a little past midday, but all the crying and pain had me exhausted.  


“No matter how sorry I feel for them…No matter how kind they appear,” I whispered to myself, “They are still murderers. I don’t belong in their world. I need to escape.” I closed my eyes, dreading for tomorrow.


	8. I'm Not Your Hope

Not much happened the next day. It was rather slow, actually. Jhope had come to watch me while the others left on a mission.  


“Who has killed the most?” I asked him. Jhope didn’t look at me. He was shining his gun.  


“Namjoon and Yoongi are tied. They are ruthless when it comes to missions.”  


“Who’s killed the least?”  


“Me and Jin. We’re not much for killing.”  


“What about Taehyung?”  


“He’s killed quite a bit. He doesn’t care for it much.”  


“Do any of you like it.”  


“Not really. It is pretty satisfying to see those that ruined your life beg for mercy.”  


“What about Jimin and Jungkook?”  


“Jungkook has killed quite a bit. He may be the youngest, but he has a lot of anger in him. Jimin doesn’t like casualties, so he doesn’t kill unless necessary.”  


“Wouldn’t it have been better to talk to the police?”  


“Half the police are owned; they won’t do jack.”  


“Isn’t there a way to get revenge without murder?”  


“I don’t know!” Jhope snapped. “Dammit, you ask a lot of questions. We chose this life. We will continue to live it until we find that man and cut his throat open.”  


“What will you do after you kill him? Will you continue this life of murder or will you try to make something of yourself?”  


Jhope laughed bitterly, “Can I make something of myself?” He had a distant look on his face. He still hadn’t made eye contact with me.  


“You can do anything you set your mind to. I didn’t think I would be able to finish college. I had some big steps to walk in.”  


“Did you finish?” I smiled slightly at his question.  


“Yes. I finished with a 3.2 gpa. It was a big milestone for me. I worked my butt off to finish my 4-year degree in 2 years.”  


“Wow. That’s impressive, actually.”  


“At first, I thought so, too, but I soon realized it didn’t satisfy me. I had no idea what I wanted in life. My brother…he went to college on a full ride. He was going to become a doctor. There I was though, no full ride, not sure what I wanted to be…Following in his footsteps killed me. I could never be the great person my brother was.” I’m not sure what I was trying to accomplish bringing up my sob story, or rather if jhope cared at all.  


“I heard from the others that he was very kind.” Jhope was fiddling with his fingers.  


“He was wonderful!” I laughed. “He was the best big brother I could ever ask for. I think I was always jealous of him though. He was so protective, did everything he could for others, and always had his life figured out. Me? I had to travel all the across the world to figure out what I wanted. I’m not sure I really know what I want still.”  


“That’s ok. You’re young. You don’t have to know everything, and you don’t have to be your brother. You should just be you.” Something about Jhope’s words struck a nerve with me. I had always tried to live up to the standards my brother set. Instead, I should have made my own standards.  


“Jhope, did you ever have a dream?”  


“Yes. I wanted to be a dancer.” This was the first time Jhope had looked at me.  


“A dancer?” I chuckled a little.  


Jhope glared at me, “Yes, a dancer. Ever since I was a little kid, I was always fascinated by music. I wanted to become a professional. My father was always supportive of me. He took me to all my practices, and watched all of my auditions.”  


“That’s amazing Jhope! What happened, though?” Everything sounded so wonderful, but he didn’t look happy.  


“My dad was really supportive, but my mother wasn’t. She didn’t want me to live that kind of life. She demanded I quit and focus on school.”  


“That’s awful. She had no right to force you to do such a thing.”  


“Yeah…well, it doesn’t matter. My mother was forcing me to go into business so I could take over the family corporation. I chose to run away.”  


“You ran away from home?”  


Jhope nodded, “Yep, and I never looked back. I have no idea what my parents are doing now. Sometimes I feel bad. I feel like I let them down. If they saw me now, surely they would think of me as a monster.”  


“I don’t know about that. Parents have a bright way of looking at their children.”  


I smiled fondly, “I remember this one time; I was at school. This girl, Isabella, kept pulling on my hair. I yelled at her to knock it off, so she stuck gum in it. I pushed her down, and her mother came charging at me. She swatted my hand and called me horrible names; I was in first grade.”  


“What’s your point?” Jhope questioned.  


“My point is: parents don’t see the bad in their children. They will always defend their child with their life. I think, if anything, your parents probably blame themselves for pushing you away. I think they would be the happiest if they got to see you.” Jhope only stared at me. I couldn’t read the expression on his face.  


“I’m back!” Jimin barged through the door, holding bags. “Hey, Jhope. How’d it go?”  


Jhope got up, “Everything went fine. She’s all yours now.” Jhope left the room without a glance at me.  


“Oh? He’s so silent. Did you trouble him?”  


My eyes widen, “I-I don’t think so.”  


“Good.” He chuckled. “The mission went quicker than we thought so we decided to go shopping. I decided to get you some things.” I gasped as I looked through the giant bags. They were filled with clothes. Leggings, skirts, shirts, etc. Anything you could think of, he got.  


“There’s so much.” I was at a loss of words.  


Jimin smirked, “Of course. You’ve been wearing the same thing for the last week. It’s disgusting. If you’re going to be here, we might as well get you some new clothes. Do you like them?” I was surprised at what good taste he had.  


“They’re beautiful. I love all of them. How’d you know my size?”  


“I didn’t. But since you’re a foreigner, I decided to go with the biggest size and hope for the best. Sorry, if they’re too baggy.” I shook my head. He was smart. The first time I ever tried shopping, I noticed how tiny Koreans were. Everything was so small. I was never a huge person, but my chest and hips were certainly bigger than the average around here.  


“I don’t know what to say. Thank you.” The new clothes almost had me drooling. I never took major notice, but when I thought about it, it felt awful wearing the same thing for over a week.  


“I’m glad you’re happy.” It was a small moment to share, but we did. Just then I noticed a knock at the door. Not the basement door, but the front door. It was faint, but the walls here weren’t the thickest.  


“What was that?”  


Jimin frowned, “I don’t know.” I listened attentively…It was Hyungsoo. I could hear his voice.  


_“Excuse me. I hate to bother you, but I’m looking for my missing coworker.” _  
__

____

_“Oh, a missing coworker?” _That was Yoongi speaking.  
__

____

_“Yes, she’s been missing for about a week now. It’s not like her to miss work. My girlfriend is really worried. They were best friends…honestly, we’re all worried.” _So they were looking for me. I could feel my heart quicken.  
__

____

_“We haven’t seen anyone around here.” _  
__

____

_“You said she? I’m afraid these woods are dangerous. A lot of creeps lurk around here, and there is wildlife.” _That was Namjoon speaking. _“I’m afraid she would be a lost cause if she came around here.” _  
____

_____ _

_“Perhaps you’re right.” Hyungsoo sighed. _  
__

____

_“Have you tried filing a report with the police?” Yoongi suggested. _  
__

____

_“Yes, but they’re not sure they can do much. She’s a foreigner and there’s not a lot of info on her.” _  
__

____

_“That’s unfortunate. Is that a picture of her? She’s really pretty.” Taehyung had chimed in. _  
__

____

_“I’m sorry we couldn’t be more help.” Namjoon said. _What? No! Hyungsoo don’t leave.  
__

____

“Hyungsoo!” I yelled. I noticed Jimin had jumped from my screaming. “Hyungsoo, don’t leave! I’m here!” I yelled trying to charge the door, but Jimin held me back.  


____

_“What was that?” Hyungsoo exclaimed. _  
__

______ _ _

_“What was what?” came Yoongi’s reply. _  
__

________ _ _ _ _

_“I thought I heard someone call my name.” _  
__

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

_Namjoon intervened, “I promise you it was nothing. We’ve been having a rat problem recently, so perhaps you heard them in the walls.” _  
__

____________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_“Perhaps…if you don’t mind me asking. What are four guys doing living out here in the middle of nowhere?” _  
__

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_Taehyung interjected this time, “There’s actually seven of us, and we’ve all decided to live a life closer to nature. We’re all good friends and we wanted to take a year or two to get back to the roots of life—mother nature and all.” _  
__

________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_“Uh-huh…You’re nothing but a bunch of hippies. Got it…well, let me just give you this flyer. If you hear anything, please call me.” _  
__

__________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_“We’ll make sure to do so.” _No!  
__

____________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

I had struggled against Jimin’s vice grip. I was able to make it up the stairs, but Jimin had caught me before I could say anything. He had his hand firmly clamped around my mouth.  


____________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“No.” I cried. They were muffled. “Hyungsoo, please come back.” The boys came to find Jimin practically laying on me to keep me under control.  
Namjoon rubbed his temples, “What a headache. Stop crying.” I cried more. “I said stop crying.” Namjoon back handed me across my face. This was the first time he laid his hands on me. I rarely ever saw him, let alone talk to him.  


____________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Hyung, I’m sorry. She wiggles around a lot.” Jimin grunted as he grabbed both my hands.  


____________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“It’s fine.” Namjoon pinched my face between his fingers, forcing me to look at him. “Do you realize what would have happened if he found out you were here? You think you would be able to go home?” I sniffled in response.  


____________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“If he found out you were here; we would have to kill him.” Suga said nonchalantly. “You would be the reason for his death.” That shook me to my core. I never thought about what would have happened. There was only one of Hyungsoo and seven of them.  


____________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“I’m sorry.” I choked out.  


____________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Jimin sighed, “Stop apologizing. Just realize that this is your life now.” Nothing else was said as I was brought back down to the basement. No punishment this time either. I was left with silence and rage. If they wanted an obedient girl. I would give it to them.

____________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	9. Danger

An obedient girl I was: I ate my meals, I cleaned myself, I stayed quiet. I didn’t ask any more questions. For two weeks now, I have been a good girl. The boys could sense the change in my mood, but they didn’t know how to go by it. Some would try to make conversation with me, others would just stare. Sometimes I would follow along with the conversation. After all, that’s what a good girl would do. I was waiting. I would find the perfect time to escape. I would not be a victim anymore.  


“Hey,” Taehyung called out, bringing me lunch. “How are you doing?”  


“Fine, thank you.” I smiled in return. I loathed my situation. I loathe that these boys have kept me imprisoned, but I would be lying if I said I hated these men. Something about them had me drawn. I had become the closest with Taehyung and Jhope. They talked to me a lot. For some reason, they were always trying to make me happy. Perhaps they saw the deadness in my eyes.  


Yoongi and Jin were nice as well, but they were always distance. Namjoon and Jungkook never showed their faces to me. The only time I saw them was the few times that first week or two. Then there was Jimin.  


“Lucy, are you ok?” Taehyung rubbed the back of his neck. “You seem off lately.”  


“I’m fine, Taehyung. I’m just getting comfortable with my new life.” I smiled, but my voice was dry, robotic.  
Taehyung sighed, “Look, I’m sorry we can’t release you. You’ve just seen too much…You know too much. If I’m being honest, I’ve grown rather fond of you. I think we all have.” His voice trailed off. His words were touching, but not enough.  


“I understand, Taehyung. You all are doing this to protect yourselves, to achieve vengeance. I won’t pretend to enjoy being locked up in a basement, but I can do my best to make the most of it.”  


Taehyung left after a bit. He didn’t have much to say after that. I will not lie. Part of me has grown fond of them, too. They all have such sad pasts, and all I wish is for them to find happiness in life…but it can’t be through me. I had a life, and I must get it back. So I will be the good girl they expect of me, but when I get the chance, I will make my move.

Knock Knock  


“Come in.” I shouted. Jimin walked in. “Hello, Jimin! I haven’t seen you in a while.” He didn’t look happy.  


“It has come to everyone’s attention that you’ve lost your fighting spirit.” He started.  


“On the contraire, I do have a fighting spirit. However, last time I tried to use it, I almost murdered a coworker.” Came my reply.  


Jimin sighed, “So now you like to be witty, too?”  


“Not witty, Jimin, but rather facing fate. If I can’t escape, I might as well get used to this life.”  


“It won’t always be like this.” He blurted. This confused me.  


“What do you mean? I thought you didn’t want to take the risk that I would tell everyone who you guys are.”  


Jimin bit his lip in frustration, “Of course, but once we get rid of that man, we’ll finally be free. You’ll be free.”  


“What?”  


“Come with me.” Jimin grabbed my arm, rushing me out the door. He practically ran up the stairs into the dining room. Everyone was already sitting and waiting. Namjoon was the first to speak up.  


“Good evening, Lucy. There is something we must discuss with you.”  


I sat down slowly, “Did I do something wrong?” Fear ate away at the back of my head. If I had acted up in some way, would they kill me?  


“No, it’s not that,” Namjoon sighed. “It’s clear to me that you know a lot about us…too much. It has also been brought to my attention that someone we’ve been hunting knows about you.” Thoughts of family, old friends, and coworkers crossed my mind, but none of them added up.  


“I don’t understand.”  


“We think it’s time to let you in on some things.” Jhope interjected.  


“What things?” I was becoming nervous.  


Namjoon cleared his throat, “My mother was killed when I was only fifteen. The woman who killed her was a coworker of my father. The two of them were having an affair. My father told her that as long as my mother was in the picture that they could never be fully together. So, that woman had my mother killed. Now you may be wondering how this connects to the man we always are talking about. Well, that man happened to be that nasty woman’s father. I have found emails, text messages, and voice mails all pertaining to her and my father scheming to have my mother killed. These messages also connect to her father; the man who killed my mother. That man’s name is Choi Hajoon. I saw him. That bastard murdered my mother, and I will get my revenge.”  


“But it wasn’t just Hajoon who killed your mom. Your father and that woman had a say in it as well.”  


Namjoon smiled, “You’re absolutely right. That’s why I killed that bitch when I had the chance. Daddy-dearest was furious.” He was laughing slightly. This was the most emotion I have ever seen in him. “Father was always weary of me. I’m sure he knew that I discovered his nasty secrets. He ran away like the coward he is when he saw his mistress’s blood all over the pretty master bed. I’m not my father though. I will not run away. I would never cheat on the love of my life.” Namjoon seemed to be talking to himself…It scared me.  


“If you had so much proof, why not just go to the police?” A cold sweat started to form slightly.  


“Remember how I said the police are bought?” Jhope grimaced.  


“W-what does this have to do with me? Why are you telling me all of this now? I’m just your prisoner and you’ve all been so willing to share your lives with me.”  


“We could say the same to you.” Yoongi corrected me.  


Jin stepped in, putting a hand on Namjoon’s shoulder, “We have had some suspicion that Namjoon’s father killed himself, so there’s nothing we can do about him. But, the man who actually murdered his mother, was the lead involvement in the murder of Taehyung’s mother, was also involved in the murder of Jungko—”  


“Hyung!” Jungkook snapped. It was the first time I heard Jungkook’s voice in weeks. It startled me how serious he looked.  


“I’m sorry, forget that last part,” Jin said wearily, “This man’s name is Choi Hajoon. He is a multibillionaire through the underground. Things like: the mafia, gangs, black market, etc. He is a very serious man who has a lot of connections. It would be impossible to try to take him out through any justice system.”  


“Again, what does this have to do with me?”  


“We’re not sure how it happened, but he knows who you are and he knows you are connected to us.” My heart dropped at Jin’s words. Everything I knew was starting to shatter around me.  


“H-How? I haven’t been stuck here for practically a month. You guys told me no one knows about you guys! I haven’t done anything!” I was shouting and panicking.  


“Please calm down.” Jimin said, rubbing his temples. “No one knows about us, except Hajoon. He’s known for a long time that we’ve been after him. I mean, how could he not? We’ve killed dozens of his men. There are no records on us, so there’s no way for him to trace us, contact us, or bring authorities into this.”  


“Not to mention, he doesn’t see us as a threat.” Taehyung mumbled.  


“Then how does he know about me?” I turned to Jimin.  


Jimin stroked my cheek, “You’ve been on the news for a while now. You’re a foreigner who magically disappeared into the night, and no one has any leads on you. We also made the stupid mistake to talk about you while we were out on the field. Someone must have listened in.”  


“Does that mean they know where we are?” I shuddered. “Am I in danger?”  


“Technically, yes. “Yoongi replied. “They now know that the mysterious girl is involved with us. Sure, they don’t know that you’re our prisoner, but it wouldn’t really matter anyway. All they know is that you are one more person who is against them. Therefore, you’re a target.” I could feel all the blood drain from my face.  


“A target…I didn’t do anything…” I trailed off.  


Jin squeezed my hand, “Please do not worry. They have no idea where we are located. We were stupid to bring your name up, but we are never dumb enough to bring up our location. We are also very good at our job. You are in no real danger.”  


“Yet.” Yoongi muttered. Everyone glared at him. “You can glare all you want, but the truth is the truth.” Yoongi stood up and towered over me. “You know why I said we should have killed you? Because, we are humane. You think we’re some killing monsters? You haven’t seen anything. I’ve seen a man skinned alive because he crossed Hajoon. I could have made it painless for you, but if he ever gets a hold of you, you’ll suffer in a way that makes hell look pleasant.”  


“That’s enough, Hyung!” Jimin snapped. “No one is killing, Lucy. Lucy, look at me. I promise you, you are completely safe here. Here, we can protect you.”  


“Jimin is right.” Namjoon joined. “Although, Yoongi is right as well. Everything Yoongi has said is true and is something to think about. However, you are safe here. No one knows about this place.”  


I nodded, still unsure about everything, “I just have one question. Jimin said that when it’s over that you’ll all be free…that I’ll be free…”  


Namjoon nodded, “When I see Hajoon dead with my own eyes, I believe we’ll all be able to move on. And Lucy, I promise you, we will free you as well. You’ll be free to turn us in or go back to your own life. Quite frankly, our lives haven’t exactly been the most pleasant up till this point.” His words said it all. None of them cared if they died or were thrown in prison for life. All they cared about was getting rid of this man; any other dream or wish came second.  


“I see.” I muttered.  


“Lucy…if you so happen as to ruin anything along the way,” Namjoon warned. “I will kill you. I don’t want to do that, but I will not let you get in my way.”  


“I-I won’t.” I shuddered.  


Namjoon stood up, no emotion in his eyes, “This is my life’s goal, all of our goal. I will not let you put my family in danger. I’ve been kind and following our rules, trying to make you a comfortable guest as best I can. Believe it or not, you aren’t the first to have been captured or found spying. You’re just the first to have lived this long. Don’t make me regret it.” Silence filled the air. There was nothing left to say, so Jimin took me back down to the basement.  


“Are you scared?” He asked as he wrapped me in the blanket.  


“A little, but I don’t think everything has really set in.” I replied honestly.  


Jimin hummed, “I understand. It’s not something to take in easily.” He had a distant look in his eyes again, like he was in a different place.  


“You’re all very brave.”  


Jimin looked confused, “Brave?”  


“Yes. I don’t think I could ever kill someone, especially when they are trying to kill me. I would be far too scared.”  


Jimin chuckled lightly, “Killing isn’t brave, Lucy. It’s cowardly.” I looked at him to continue. “Only cowards kill to get their way. We couldn’t just trust or have faith that things could work out. We couldn’t work with others to make things better. We couldn’t put one foot in front of the other for ourselves. Instead, we ran away. We ran away from responsibility, from people, from trust…from the world. We banned together because we are cowards. Because, if anyone saw the real us, we would be shunned.”  


“Sometimes you have to run away to find yourself.” I replied. “Not everyone will accept you for who you are, but it’ll be a lot easier if you can accept yourself.” Jimin laughed. It was a genuine smile that he had on his face. I didn’t understand why, but it made me feel warm inside.  


“How is it, that you can say the things I need to hear the most.”  


“What do you mean?”  


Jimin shook his head, “Forget about it. Go to sleep. We have a lead on where Hajoon is so we’ll be preparing for that trip soon.”  


“You’ll be leaving?”  


“Not all of us, but yes. I promise he won’t hurt you.”  


“What about you?” Jimin paused at my question.  


“Are you worried about me?” He teased. “Don’t be. I don’t deserve it, but I will be back. We always come back.” Jimin leaned down and kissed my forehead before he left the room.  


I sat in silence, staring at the door, burning an image of Jimin’s back into it. There was so much information flooding my senses. I could barely breath, let alone think straight. I have always been a level-headed person; emotions never truly clouded my judgment. Yet, as I sat on the floor wrapped tightly in a blanket, I realized how much I resembled my mother; how much her emotions reflected mine. I would like to pretend that I know how to handle myself, but at the end of the day, I’m just like my mom. When something becomes too much for me to handle…I make bad decisions.

‘I’m sorry Jimin…but I can’t stay here.’ I waited till I couldn’t hear anyone upstairs moving. I immediately got up. With the help from the moonlight and my familiarity of the room, I located the dresser. I pushed it as quietly as I could towards the window. With it in place I could reach the window. I could see the ground outside; if I leaned, I could see the woods to the left and the road that lead into it.  


‘The window is locked.’ I tsked in my mind. With the dim light I spotted the dead potted plant. It was made out of clay. I lifted it with a bit of a struggle and stood back on the dresser.  


“I’m so sorry, Jimin…I’m so sorry everyone.” I whispered. “I swear I’ll never tell anyone about you guys. You deserve that much.” With that, I lifted the pot and smashed it into the window with all my might. The pot shattered along with the window. I could already hear footsteps moving about upstairs.  


I quickly squeezed myself through the tiny window. Glass and clay shards bore into my hands and legs. Nothing on my body was left unscathed. When I made it onto the ground, I ran. I ran as fast as I could straight onto the road, into the forest. I hear the shouts of my name, but the house was long gone from my sight. I couldn’t stop running now. Adrenaline kept me pushing.  


Suddenly, I could hear a car behind me. I quickly ducked into the bushes on the side of the road. I kept myself still as they drove by slowly. They were out of sight soon enough and further down the road.  


‘Eventually they will drive back, but for now I can stay on the road.’ I thought. My mind was focused. I kept on running.


	10. Run

_“Come on Lucy!” Behn laughed, already resting on a branch two heads taller than him. _  
__

____

_“I can’t!” I pouted, “I’m scared. What if I fall?” Behn climbed with little effort. _  
__

____

_“It’s easy Lucy. Just hike your foot up and pull with your arms.” Behn demonstrated, going straight up the tree. As he sat on the branch, I began my climb. _  
__

____

_Smiling he said, “Give me your hand Lu.” His hand tightly gripped mine as I slipped and pulled trying to get up the scratchy tree. Finally up, sitting in his lap, I could see just a little past the neighborhood houses. _  
__

____

_“Hey, that’s where Isabella lives!” I pointed out. _  
__

____

_“Who’s Isabella?” _  
__

____

_I pouted, “The meanest person on the planet.” _  
__

____

_Behn hummed, nodding his head, “I can take care of that if you want me to.” _  
__

____

_“No,” I shook my head, “I’m a big girl, and big girls solve their own problems.” _  
__

____

_Behn chuckled, “You say that, but you begged for my dessert and help on your homework.” _  
__

____

_“Behn, I’m only 10. I’m not that grown up.” _  
__

____

_“I’ll say.” He snorted. “Lu, if you ever are in trouble or just need space, climb a tree.” _  
__

____

_I tilted my head, “Why?” _  
__

____

_“Because in a tree, you’re safe. No one is looking up, so no one can find you. Next time those boys down the road or Isabella give you a hard time, just hide here and I’ll find you.” ___

____

‘Except you won’t find me this time, will you?’ My mind came back to reality as I looked out into the endless blackness of the forest. I ran for a good thirty minutes before I climbed the tree out of fear of what lies in the darkness.  


“I can’t see anything Behn.” I whispered. “It’s cold, my adrenaline is gone, I have no idea where I’m going…” I listed all my worries to the silence of the night. “The road just won’t end, and their car hasn’t come back yet.”  


I slowly willed myself down the tree and continue my way through the night. I focused on staying on the dirt path, known as the road. I was beginning to feel the wounds on my hands and knees throb. My clothes were clinging to me thanks to the blood. I tried not to pay much attention to it, but the only other thing was the darkness. There were no lamps out. The only light was the stars, way up in the sky.  


“What was I thinking?” I shuddered from the cold. “The boys actually sounded like they wanted to protect me, and I ran away from them. What if Hajoon is out here looking for me right now?” I wanted to cry, but there were no tears left in my body at that moment. I must push through. There’s no turning back now.  


Snap  


All around me I could hear things snapping and blowing. If I was delirious before, this was making me downright paranoid. For some reason, Jimin’s face kept coming to mind.  


“Don’t think about him.” I muttered, “His hugs may be nice, but he for sure will want to kill me now.” Instead I thought about my mom and how much I wanted to climb into her lap and hold her tightly. If she was here right now, she would hum and rock me to sleep. Maybe she would make me her famous hot chocolate. Even if she didn’t, I would tell her how much I love her and how sorry I am for leaving. I would tell her all of my horrors, as she would tell me they were all just bad dreams. And I would wake up to the sound of her running late to work, but instead of being sad, I would hug her goodbye and tell her how amazing of a mom she is.  


SNAP  


I turned to my left, frozen in my spot when I heard something move. All thoughts of Jimin and my mom vanished from my mind. In the darkness, I could see light. It was a house. I gasped out loud from the sight of the wooden shack. You would think I would be running in joy up to the cabin, but something in my gut was telling me to turn back.  


I could feel my breath quickening as my eyes bore into the building.  


“Just go, Lucy.” I whispered to my body, but it wouldn’t move. “You’ll be safe.” So why didn’t I? That’s when I saw him. My heart nearly leapt out my chest when I saw an old man standing there. How long had he been there? I hurriedly scanned his body; his hair was grey and bald on top, he had the dirtiest overalls I had ever seen, and when I squinted I could see the outline of a…an axe in his hand?  


My body tightened around itself. His eyes were dead, telling me to run, and the dirt that I thought I saw showed its true colors in being actual blood. I couldn’t take the sight anymore. With panic scorching my veins, I ran.  


I had no idea if the man was following me or not, but my heart sunk into the pit of my stomach. My throat was dry as the wind whipped me in the face. My legs were tight, tired from all the running I previously put them through. I begged them silently to continue. “It can’t end like this.” I gasped out-loud. I darted into the woods next to the road, trying not to lose sight of it, but not wanting to be out in the open.  


Pat Pat Pat  


My feet slammed against the ground as I desperately ran for my life, trees whacking me in the face. Because of the darkness, I couldn’t see the water, so naturally I fell into the puddle, tumbling down the indent of the earth into the mud. Soaked and in fear, I turned to the see the older man. He wasn’t running, rather he walked. As if he knew he could catch me. I wanted to scream, but who would hear me? I pushed myself up and out onto the road, running on more sound ground.  


‘I need someone to find me. No one can be crazier than him.’ My mind tried to process. There was no time to catch a breath, though, as I heard the sound of feet behind me hasten; I screamed.  


“Help me!” My body felt numb. ‘How long is this road?’ Suddenly, I felt a coarse hand pull my arm, swinging backwards onto the ground. My vision spun, only focusing when I felt someone kneel over me.  


“No!” I screamed, kicking at his legs. He merely grunted, struggling to keep me still. He wrapped his hand around my neck in attempt to stop my screams. I gasped, choking on the little air available. Desperately, I yanked at his arm to release me, but he only climbed on top of me in retaliation. With his weight, I could feel the dirt and pebbles dig into my back.  


Panic was clouding my judgement as I felt his grip become firmer. Fear told me that I was going to die, as I punched at his arms. With the little bit of judgement left, I grabbed him by his shirt forcing him closer to my face. In a swift movement, I reached out pushing my thumbs into his eyes as hard as I could. He screamed releasing my neck. When I felt air sink in, I coughed tugging myself out from beneath him. He didn’t stop there. As I was about to get up, he grabbed my ankle.  


“Let go of me, you son of a bitch!” I shrieked, kicking him in the face twice before leaping to my feet and stumbling away.  


“Help me!” I screamed again. Before my eyes, lights began to appear. At first glance, I thought I might be dying, but when I saw a familiar mop of pink hair jump out of the driver seat, I ran faster. “Help me, please!” At my words, I watched the rest of the boys get out, guns open and shots immediately fired. I crouched to the ground at the sound, but when I looked up, I could see I wasn’t their target. All eyes were fixed on whatever or whoever was behind me. My vision was blurred from the horror consuming my body and when I heard the guns slowing down, I forced myself to see clearly…there I found him.  


“Jimin…” I whispered through a hiccup, “J-Jimin!” I screamed, the boy’s eyes landed on me, immediately softening from the cold glare he had once before. Yoongi turned his gun to me, unsure of what I was doing, but at the sight of me leaping into Jimin’s arms, all the boys turned lowering their guns.  


Jimin seemed to be the most shocked, not expecting me to have jumped him like that. He stumbled a little when I enclosed my arms around his neck. For the first time since running away, I let the tears fall. I buried my face into his chest and sobbed.  


“I’m so sorry.” I screeched through the tears. “I’m sorry.” Everyone was silent, as Jimin did his best to comfort me, holding me close to him.  


“I-it’s ok.” He stuttered, still stunned by my actions. He rubbed circles in my back as I continued to cry. “I’m here, Lucy. No one is going to hurt you.” His voice did nothing but cause my cries to continue. I had barely noticed it when he pulled me with him into the car. I didn’t dare look up at him. Guilt, fear…all my emotions held me against him, and came out in hot tears.  


“Forgive me, I’m sorry.” I clutched onto his shirt, barely noticing how I sat in his lap.  


Jungkook was the first to speak, “What happened out there?”  


I shook my head against Jimin’s chest, “I-I was so s-scared. I was so scared!”  


“Shh,” Jimin cooed into my ear, “We’re here. Calm down.”  


I lifted my head slightly, tears still blurring my vision. I could vaguely see Taehyung sitting next us. He looked confused, maybe slightly concerned.  


“I-I ran away.”  


Jhope snorted, “We got that.”  


I cried a little more, “I-I ran away, and I was scared. T-there was a-a man.” I managed to sob out a sentence, so I tried to continue, “H-he was covered in blood and was chasing me.”  


“Where did you see him?” Came Jin’s soothing voice.  


“I-I don’t know.” I shook my head. Jimin continued rubbing my back, giving me a reassurance I wasn’t expecting. “I s-saw a house, and then all of sudden I could b-barely make him out and—”  


“That’s enough,” Jimin whispered against my hair. “That’s enough. You’re ok.”  


“It sounds like she ran into the whore house.” Yoongi bit his lip.  


My eyes widen, “W-what?”  


“There is a whore house located out here.” Namjoon sighed, not wanting to talk about it. “It’s like the name states. It’s where missing woman go to either be toys for the night or to be auctioned off as slaves.” My knuckles turned white as I gripped onto Jimin harder.  


“Missing women…”  


Taehyung brushed a hand through his hair, “You hear about kidnapping and missing people all the time on the news…that’s where they go. It’s a huge underground organization. A pretty foreigner like you…”  


“That’s enough,” Jhope slapped him lightly, “We’ve never participated in the auctions ourselves, but it’s pretty common knowledge around here. The old man you saw runs the place. He kills off any of the woman who haven’t been sold or used in a long time. It’s a disgusting business.”  


“We would love to stop it, but there are many locations for that type of business. Destroying one barely scratches the surface.” Jin bit his lip.  


“We don’t have time nor the resources to stop it…not now.” Namjoon grimaced. “As for you…I told you—”  


“I’m sorry!” I blurted out, startling the boys around me from my outburst. “I thought I could—I thought I would—I don’t know! I was caught up in what you said and I didn’t want to be a part of it any longer. I’m sorry. I clearly didn’t know what I was getting into outside.” I choked on my sobs as I continued to rush through my words. Namjoon looked shocked at my outburst. “I’m so sorry.”  


“Stop apologizing.” Jimin tried shushing me. “We need to figure out where we’re going keep her.” His attention turned to the others.  


“You’re right. We can’t exactly keep her in the basement anymore.” Jin sighed.  


Yoongi kicked his feet up on the dashboard, “At least not until the window is fixed.”  


“She’s not staying in my room.” Jungkook groaned. “I already have the smallest one.”  


“Your room is a decent size. What are you complaining about?” Jhope snorted. “You’re the youngest anyway.”  


“W-wait.” I choked, sitting up slightly, “You’re not gonna kill me?” No one said a thing.  


“That’s Jimin’s decision.” Namjoon looked up at me. That’ when I noticed the car was more like a van and its seats sat in circle like a limo, so everyone was facing one another except Yoongi and Jin up front. “I said I would kill you if you got in my way or put my family in danger…so far you’ve been a nuisance but haven’t done much further.” The boys resumed conversation as if I wasn’t there.  


“She’s gonna need a bath.” Yoongi commented.  


“Bath? What about my car?” Jin whined. “It’s filthy now!”  


Jungkook snickered, “Thanks to the princess.”  


“My bed should be big enough. She’ll just sleep with me.” Jimin suggested. Everyone murmured in agreement.  


“Baths, beds…” I muttered, tears silently falling. “What kind of punishment is that?”  


Jimin furrowed his eyebrows, “I’m sorry?”  


“Punish me.” I looked at him, tears fully coming down again. I could feel the sobs trying to break free. “Punish me!”  


“Kinky~” Taehyung chuckled, only to be punched in the arm by Jhope.  


“Punish you?” Jimin gawked at my outburst, hands on my lower back as I straddled him tightly.  


“I disobeyed you, I r-ran away,” I sobbed, not caring how ugly I must have looked to him, “I ruined your night. Punish me!”  


“I’m not going to punish you.”  


“I deserve it!” I cried back.  


“Stop.”  


“How can I? I caused you so much grief.” My fists clutched his shirt, probably causing wrinkles.  


“You’re giving me grief now.” Jimin snapped. I shut my mouth. “Jesus…punish you?” Jimin ran a hand through his hair. His face contorted in frustration. “Yeah, my night has been a little bit of a hell thanks to you. Do you have any idea how long we were out there searching for you? If we came a second too late you would have been dead or in someone else’s bed tonight. Not to mention you made a mess of the car and the basement—which you _will _be cleaning up. Yeah, it’s been a little rough!” He lashed out. I didn’t say a word. I deserved this.  
__

__Jimin sighed, “I’m not going to punish you though…not now. You’ve been through enough as it is.” I closed my eyes when he reached out smoothing my hair. “You will clean the car and the glass tomorrow…as of tonight, you are going to sleep and relax because, I think it’s punishment enough to be chased by a creep.” Everyone was silent, including myself. Yes, I was still being held hostage, but right now, they were the ones giving me the greatest comfort and protection. How could I be scared of that?  
_ _

__The rest of the ride was silent as I hiccupped softly against Jimin’s chest. He resumed his motion of rubbing my back in slow circles._ _

____

 

I didn’t look up when Jin stopped the car, claiming ‘we’re here,’ I didn’t look up as Jimin pulled me out of the car effortlessly, I didn’t look up as Jimin, holding me, opened the door to his bedroom, and I didn’t look up as he closed the door behind us and sat me down on his bed.  


“How are you feeling?” Jimin knelt in front of me, holding onto my left knee lightly.  


I shrugged, “How am I supposed to feel?”  


“…I don’t know…” Silence consumed us, my tears and sobs long gone. Jimin got up and began rummaging through his dresser. I took this chance to look around. My gaze took in the way his bed faced a door—probably to a bathroom—I was sitting on the bed facing the right—towards the door to the hall—and behind me was a window that was closed. The colors were simple; light browns and dark browns. The furniture was of nice quality. It made me a little surprised how bad of furniture was in the basement when looking at how clean and nice these were. Nothing was extravagant, however. It had a modest feel.  


“These will do.” Jimin stated with a small smile. I noticed a baggy shirt and boxers in his hands. “I’m going to run you a bath, then you can change, ok?”  


“Why?”  


“You stink like the outdoors and you’re not sleeping in my bed with all the dirt.” He snorted.  


“You know that’s not what I mean.” I said softly.  


He sighed, “Then what do you mean?”  


“Why are you being so nice?” I clenched my hands, scared and confused. “The last few times I caused trouble, you punished me. Now you’re willing to run me a bath?”  


“I already told you, it’s punishment enough to be chased by a psycho.”  


“Why didn’t you kill me that night?” I tried again. Jimin just stared at me. “Why are all of you so willing to put your life on the line for someone you don’t even know? Why be willing to tell me anything at all?” I furrowed my eyebrows.  


“I don’t kill the innocent.”  


“You’ve said that before, but I don’t understand.” I cried out. “Namjoon said there were others before me. Was it your call then, too?” Jimin had no emotion on his face. “Please answer me.”  


Jimin’s gaze bore into mine, but I couldn’t read his expression.  


“I’ve kidnapped three before you.” I gulped, nodding slowly for him to continue.  


“None of them were as strategic as you, or perhaps I should say dumb. None thought of running away through a broken window, breaking through their binds, or even trying to friend us. Hell, one tried to sleep their way out.”  


“With you?”  


“Would it bother you if it was me?” I didn’t say anything, noting the fact that my mind said yes.  


Changing the subject, I asked, “What happened to them?”  


“All killed.”  


“Why?”  


“One pulled a gun on Namjoon, one killed herself, and one attacked Jungkook with a knife—he still has the scar— “Who killed them?”  


“Yoongi, mostly. He’s the most skilled with the gun, and he’s the most protective of our family. Yoongi doesn’t hesitate to protect.”  


“They all broke Namjoon’s rule of putting you guys in danger.” Jimin nodded at my statement. “Yoongi ended them because of that.” Jimin nodded once more.  


“Why didn’t you kill them?”  


“I did for a couple, but like I said, Yoongi is always prepared.”  


“Why did you kidnap them?”  


“They saw too much.”  


I shook my head, “You don’t like to kill innocent people…I want to know why.”  


“Cause I’m not a monster.” Jimin chuckled darkly.  


“Does that make Yoongi one?” I raised an eyebrow. I was cornering him. There was something Jimin wasn’t telling me.  


“Of course not. Yoongi and I grew up in different situations. We had different lives.”  


“What was your life like, Jimin?”  


Jimin smirked, “You know, you ask us why we keep telling you our life stories, but here you are asking for them.”  


“That doesn’t mean you need to respond, and you’re avoiding the question.”  


“What if I just plan on not responding?”  


I groaned, “Has anyone else every kidnapped anyone?”  


“…no.”  


“That’s what I thought. There’s a reason why you aren’t killing people.”  


“To be fair, we aren’t caught very often. In the last five years, we’ve only had bystanders catch on five times, not including you. The other two were found by Jungkook and Jhope.”  


“So no kidnapping…”  


“I thought we already established that I’m the one that does kidnapping.” Jimin walked up to me slowly, crouching back down to stare up into my eyes. “I’ve seen a lot of bad things in my life, Lucy. I’ve done a lot of bad things. I don’t regret my life or any of my choices, but I would regret taking an innocent person’s life without giving them a chance.”  


“You’re not like the others.” I whispered.  


Jimin shook his head, “We’re all the same, really. No one here likes killing. This is our life though, and we have to do everything we can to protect ourselves…till we reach our goal.”  


“To kill that man?”  


Jimin squeezed my left hand softly, “Freedom from Choi Hajoon.”  


“I’ve caused a lot of problems for you guys…”  


“Try to believe me when I say we’ve grown fond of you.” Jimin grinned. His eye smile was so beautiful, “You’re the only one who took the time to actually ask about us. I see fear in your eyes, but I don’t see judgement...I see pity and concern…something none of us are used to. You’re inviting.” Jimin brought my hand to his cheek. My cold palm must have felt good against his warm cheek.  


I felt flushed, “I-I’m different from the others?” I tried not making eye contact, for fear that he would make a comment about my pink skin.  


Jimin hummed, “Very different…that’s why we want to protect you. You’ve been an absolute pain, but you’re also intriguing.” Jimin kissed the palm of my hand. I let out a yelp at the feeling his plush lips.  


“If you want to turn us in after this is over, then I won’t blame you. We’d all gladly die…after all…we have nothing else to live for.”  


“That’s not tr—”  


“We’ve spent 5 years trying to help Namjoon like he helped us…we have no aspirations, no goals, no purpose. That’s why, when we’re done, you’ll be set free. We’re so close, Lucy.” There was something burning behind Jimin’s eyes; excitement at the knowledge that the man who cause so much suffering would be dead soon. I didn’t know if I should feel excited or afraid.  


“Wasn’t there anything you wanted to achieve in life?” I furrowed my eyebrows.  


Jimin’s fingered ghosted across my neck, “He left a mark…what a disgusting man.” I shivered at his touch and at the mention of that old man. Jimin yanked me up lightly with him, “Let’s get you washed up. We can talk another time.” I nodded, a little fuzzy in the head.  


“How long was I gone?” I sat on the toilet as Jimin filled the bathtub, checking the water.  


“That road is an hour drive, in and out of the forest and has many ways to go around. It’s old and not used—hence why the whore house is located out here. We drove up and down at least three different paths. You were out there for around a couple hours.” I was shocked. I must have lost all track of time walking and thinking.  


I shifted in my seat, “How can you live so close to…that place.”  


Jimin snorted, “It’s not like we decided, “Hey, a whore house, let’s live there!” We realized a few months into living here what it was, and just opted to stay out of its way.”  


“How do you know that man won’t come here.” I shivered slightly.  


“We don’t bother them, they don’t bother us. I doubt that old bag even realized it was us who were shooting at him.” Jimin smiled up at me. “You have nothing to worry about. Now let’s get you out of those clothes.”  


I blushed profusely at his words, “T-that’s ok, I can do it myself.”  


Jimin snorted, “Have you looked in a mirror? You can barely walk by yourself. I won’t look so let me help you.” I squeezed my eyes shut, as Jimin peeled the blood and mud coated sweatshirt off of me. I moaned at the stinging pain that came from a wound at my elbow.  


“That glass did a number on you.” Jimin mumbled, softly touching my side where glass had cut open the shirt. “Turn around.” I did as he said, lifting my arms up when he started tugging the shirt upwards. Slowly, every piece came off and I was dipped into the warm water. It stung at my open wounds, but I couldn’t help but to moan at the sensation as it comforted me. Jimin kept his promise and kept his eyes off of me, handing me a cloth to wash my body with.  


“I don’t have any feminine shampoo.” I hummed at his words. My eyes rolled back when his fingered started to massage my aching scalp. I couldn’t help the moan that slipped between my lips.  


Jimin chuckled, “Careful, don’t enjoy this too much. I’m still a man you know.” I bit my lip. I knew he was teasing me, but I couldn’t help the embarrassment or the blush that crept up me. “I’ll leave the clothes here. When you’re done you can change and come out. Don’t stay in too long, or you’ll become a prune.”  


Click  


As the door shut behind him, I sunk deep into the clear water. I didn’t want to think any more about today’s event. Everything was too much.  


“I was almost killed.” I whispered, blowing bubbles into the water. I really could have died tonight, but I didn’t. I was saved by the boys I was so desperate to get away from. I couldn’t even think straight about what was right or wrong anymore…all I knew was that in that moment, I was alive, and I needed to thank God and my seven kidnappers. I hummed, allowing the water to consume my tender body.  


‘There’s not much I can do besides cheer for them…even if it’s a disturbing goal. I should at least thank them for saving me.’ With that thought in mind, I dried off and got ready for bed.


	11. Hold Me Tight

“Sooooo….”  


“Please do not try to make small talk.” Jungkook groaned. We were sitting on one of the plush white couches in the living room. Jungkook was left to babysit me as the rest of the boys had to head out early for another mission. He sat far to the left on the opposite couch diagonal from me. I knew he was uncomfortable around me still. To be frank, we never really talked much. I barely ever saw him considering he was sent on missions probably the most.  


“We could have big talk.” I attempted at a joke. Realizing I failed miserably, I avoided eye-contact with his exasperated face. Instead I looked passed him to the wall behind him, innocently. Behind him was the entrance to the home, the main door sat just behind him. If I looked to the left, across the wall, my gaze would fall onto the mini hallway to the basement. If I continued, my gaze fell onto the dining table on the wood floor—it sat behind me. A little further behind me was the kitchen. To my right was the tv plastered on the wall in all its HD glory. In-between the living room and the kitchen was the door to Namjoon’s room; somewhere I obviously was not welcomed to. Scanning the room one last time, I tore my eyes to the window in front of me, past the chocolate brown coffee table. It was bright and sunny out—the perfect summer day. The whole living room lit up beneath its rays.  
“Sorry.” He mumbled.  


I blinked a couple times, unsure what he was talking about, “For what?”  


He rubbed his neck nervously, avoiding looking at me, “I’m not very social so this must be awkward for you.”  


“Not really.” I shrugged, sort of lying. It was a little uncomfortable sitting in the silence, but it wasn’t necessarily unpleasant. “It must be hard for you to sit here babysitting me.”  


“You have no idea.” He groaned.  


I chuckled a little, “I know I’m not the boys, but I can be fun, too.”  


He snickered, “It’s not about fun. I hate not being out on the field with them. I keep getting this itch to go help.”  


“You’re worried about them?” I suggested.  


“Not really.” He shrugged. “The others can take care of themselves just find. I just feel useless sitting here.” He sighed, playing with hands. It must have something to do with him being the youngest, that makes him feel the need to constantly support his fellow brothers.  


“I would say you could just leave me, but I doubt you guys trust me much.” I clicked my tongue.  
“You got that right.” Jungkook turned to me with a smirk. I never noticed before how handsome he was. “You keep doing stupid things. It baffles me how Jimin hasn’t lost his patients with you.”  


“My butt would beg to differ.” I mumbled with a pout, thinking back to the punishment I received on multiple occasions.  


Jungkook snorted, “That’s your own fault for being stupid.”  


“I’m not stupid.” I whined.  


“You’re right. You’re an idiot. You’ve caused yourself so much trouble.”  


“Haven’t you as well? I mean, you are apart of a gang that’s trying to kill a single man.”  


“It’s different. You wouldn’t get it.”  


“Try me.”  


Jungkook shook his head, “So how was it sleeping with Jimin?” I choked on air at his words, his voice conveying a deeper meaning.  


“W-we just slept in the same bed.” I knew this was his way of changing the subject, but I fell into it. My cheeks instantly heated up with the images of last night coming back to my mind.

_Looking at myself in the mirror, I felt different. Jimin’s shirt was huge on me, completely covering the boxes on my bottom half.  
_

_I bit my lip, ‘I look naked.’ I shook my head trying to calm myself. ‘Why am I so nervous to go out there?’  
_

_“Hey, are you ok in there?” I jumped at Jimin knocking on the door.  
_

_“I-I’m f-fine. I’ll be o-out in a second.” I stumbled over my words, trying to put any loose strand of hair down before walking out to him. With the door creaked open, I could peak out to see Jimin standing next to his bed, already dressed in pajama pants, taking his shirt off. He noticed me when I stupidly let out a small gasp.  
_

_“Hey, you ready?”  
_

_I opened the door wide open, keeping a firm grip on the bottom of his shirt. “Y-yeah.”  
_

_Jimin chuckled, “I hope you don’t mind. I don’t sleep with a shirt on usually; too hot.” I didn’t say anything, trying to keep my eyes off of his perfect abs. Sure I’ve had a couple boyfriends before, but I was a good girl. I never slept over at their house—let alone their bed. I’m sure Behn would kill me if I did. It didn’t help that they weren’t built as nice as him. Jimin may have been short, but his body was lean and toned perfectly.  
_

_“You like what you see?”  
_

_“I’m not even looking!” I squeaked out, making my way to the other side of the bed. He merely chuckled. “Are you sure I can’t just sleep on the couch or something?”  
_

_“And risk you running away again? Not a chance.” Jimin tsked amused. He pulled my gently under the covers closer to him. “I need you close to me.” Even in the dark, I was sure Jimin could see my tomato-red face, and hear my heart pounding a mile a minute.  
_

_“Y-you don’t have to worry about that…I’ve learned my lesson.” I muttered.  
_

_Jimin hummed, “Not quite. You still need your ‘punishment’.”  
_

_“Nooooo….” I whimpered, knowing full well what he meant.  
_

_“Oh yes. Not tonight though. We’ll save that for tomorrow after you’ve finished cleaning up the car and the glass.” I nodded numbly. “Why are you pouting? You’re the one who asked me to punish you.” He had a point there.  
_

_“Sometimes I think you enjoy punishing me.”  
_

_Jimin hummed, “Is this the first time you’ve slept with a man?” I went stiff in his arms, wide eyes staring into his crescent shape ones.  
_

_“W-what makes you say that?”  
_

_He snorted, “You’re stiff, red, and edging further away as we speak.”  
_

_“Well have you ever slept with a woman?” I questioned him, eyebrow arched.  
_

_“Of course.” I nearly choked, unsure if there was a double-meaning to the confident way he said that.  
_

_He laughed, “It’s only reasonable to think that some missions would require the art of seduction.”  
_

_“What about before bts? Any girlfriends?” I don’t know why I was so curious about this. I chalked it up to the close proximity getting to my head.  
_

_“Everyone has school crushes or summer flings. I’m sure even someone as nervous as you had a boyfriend.”  
_

_“Well…yeah but nothing serious.” Jimin hummed in response, his hand stroking my arm sending goose-bumps all over my body.  
_

_“Same…nothing serious.” I blushed, trying to burry my face into the pillow. His intense gaze was too much. “It’s only later, as you grow up a little, that you start taking life seriously. You start taking the relationships you once had or currently have seriously.”  
_

_“I understand what you mean.” I peeked up at him.  
_

_“Do you?”  
_

_“It wasn’t until my brother was gone, that I missed everything about him.”  
_

_“You talk as if he’s dead.”  
_

_I curled up under his hold, “Might as well be. We fought the last time I saw him, and haven’t really spoken since. I wanted to come here to find myself, to better myself. I thought that maybe if I came back a changed person, he would love me again.”  
_

_“Do you really believe your brother ever stopped loving you?” Jimin furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.  
_

_“I honestly did. I thought about what am imperfect, flawed human-being I was…I still am. I make mistakes, I can be brash, but above all my flaws, I realize that that’s just what makes me me. No one is perfect, and sometimes all we need to do to end a fight is to admit we’re wrong and say sorry. But, my pride got in the way and I never did.”  
_

_“Instead you went half way cross the world.”  
_

_I laughed at the irony, “Yeah…yeah I did. I don’t regret it though.”  
_

_“You don’t regret being captured?” I looked up at him, remembering Yoongi’s words.  
_

_“I don’t regret it at all. I wouldn’t be me if it wasn’t for these choices.” Jimin smiled at the familiar words.  
_

_“You’ve been hanging around us too much.” He teased.  
_

_“Whose fault is that?” I teased back, not realizing how close our bodies had become. Jimin had his ankle slight twisted with mine, our knees touching, and my heart pounding profusely.  
_

_“We should get some sleep.” He hummed.  
_

_“Jimin?”  
_

_“Hmm?”  
_

_“What made you join BTS?” Behind that question was a million others like: Why did you grow up so fast, what made you take life seriously, did anyone in your life hurt you?  
_

_Jimin pulled my head to his chest, “Sleep. The less you know, the better.” I slowly did, to his beating heart.  
_

_The next day, I woke up to an empty bed. Jungkook greeted me when in the kitchen, telling me how the boys had to leave on an emergency mission. ___

____

 

“Hey,” Jungkook snapped his fingers, “Earth to Lucy. Are you there?”  


“Did you say something, Jungkook?” I startled out of my memory.  


Jungkook snorted, “Was sleeping in the same bed that good? Jeez, you were in a daze you weirdo.”  


“I-I was just thinking about it…” I stuttered. “And nothing happened you pervert!”  


Jungkook hollered throwing his head back in amusement, “I’m the pervert? Ok there Lucy.”  


“Let’s just move on.” I was annoyed with how he wouldn’t let this go. “Tell me about this mission.”  


“Why?” He came back, wiping laughing tears from his eyes.  


“I want to know where they went…that they’re safe.”  


“Caring about your kidnappers? I think you’ve lost your marbles.”  


I groaned, “Can’t you just tell me.”  


“There was an alert that Hajoon’s secretary was on the move in Busan. With his knowledge, we could get the whole layout of Hajoon’s schedule, main building floor plan, just anything. We could end him in a heartbeat.”  


“Why are you so keen on killing this man?”  


“You already know. Namjoon tol—”  


“I know what Namjoon said, but I mean why do you want to kill him?” I emphasized.  


“Cause that son-of-a-bitch deserves it.” Jungkook jaw tightened. It was obvious to the naked-eye that he was getting uncomfortable.  


“What did he do to you, Jungkook?” I whispered, walking on eggshells.  


“Why do you care?” He snapped. “Stop meddling in our business! You’re so annoying! What, you want to fix all of our broken lives with your small little pep-talk?”  


“No.” I replied calmly, trying not to set him off further. Jungkook stood up, hand in his hair.  


“I can’t stand nosey people. My life is none of your concern!” He glared at me. I was reminded of this first time I talked to him; this happened then, too. Jungkook is quick to anger when pushed in a direction he doesn’t want to walk towards.  


“You’re apart of this gang are you not? Of course, your life is my concern.” What was I saying? “Believe it or not, I’ve grown attached to all of you. I’ve lost a lot of people in my life Jungkook, and the thought of losing you…any of you…” I choked up, unable to continue for fear of tears slipping down. Jungkook stood shocked. His expression was unreadable as he scratched the back of his head.  


Jungkook sighed, calming down from the storm, “Thank you for your concern, but none of us deserve it.” I tried to protest, but Jungkook held his hand out for me to stop. “I promise you, none of us will die, not before that man is dead.” I just nodded, appreciative of his attempt to assure me.  


It wasn’t until later that night, the boys stumbled in, mud and blood caking their clothes.  


“We’re home!” Jhope called out.  


I stood up from my seat, Jungkook muted the tv, “Welcome back.” The boys looked exhausted.  


“Was he there?” Jungkook questioned.  


Namjoon came in stamping his feet of the mud, “We’ll discuss in private.” The boys’ faces harden; giving away that there was bad news.  


“Damn.” Jungkook muttered. I scanned the boys head-to-toe till I came across Jimin. When he noticed my stare, he smiled at me; he was exhausted.  


“Lucy, will you go upstairs to my room, please?” He asked. I knew I had no choice. They had many things to discuss. I nodded my head, and swiftly made my way through the kitchen. In the back, there was a door that held stairs to the upstairs hallway. Upon reaching the hall, I realized I didn’t remember which room was his. There were six bedrooms; three on each side of the hall. I didn’t pay much attention before because, I was too focused on finding out where everyone had left this morning. Now, at night, I crept softly across the floor. My eyes caught on to an open door to my left. I knew it wasn’t Jimin’s cause I closed his door when I left his room, but curiosity got the best of me. My head was screaming at me to turn around, but I was never good at listening.  


Looking inside, I could see the navy-blue comforter draped neatly on the bed. Clothes were scattered everywhere in big piles, the small closet a mess with a few of those clothes. I turned on the lamp at the smooth desk. There was another bathroom attached to this room, but it appeared to be attached to another bedroom on the other side; a shared-bathroom. My heart was thrashing against my chest, fear of getting caught. It was when I was about to turn back that my eyes caught the sight of an old newspaper. The front page was a picture of a middle-ish aged woman. In bold it read, “Aunt Murdered During Fight.” Peeling back the page to read more, I scanned the words finding the name of the nephew: Kim Taehyung. My heart dropped at his name. There was no picture, but I knew it was him. I read the text briefly: “Reports indicate a fight broke out late at night at the apartment. Kim Taehyung struck his aunt in the head with a lamp, ultimately leading to her death of bleeding out. Neighbors report that there was screaming before the incident, and months leading up to the incident there may have been signs of abuse from the aunt that lead to the actions. Nothing is certain as of date. Currently the whereabouts of Kim Taehyung are unknown.”  


I took a step back clutching tightly to the paper. A cold sweat formed on my neck.  


“So now you know, huh?” I yelped, turning around to meet Taehyung’s sad eyes.  


“I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come in here.”  


He shrugged, “It’s fine…I didn’t mean to do it, you know.”  


I furrowed my brows, “Yeah…the papers said something about abuse…Jimin said that, too.”  


He hummed, “Well, both are right. My aunt never liked me. She was my mom’s older sister. There was a long history behind them. They were the only children of my grandma and grandpa, and my mother was the favorite. Growing up, my aunt had always been envious of my mother for that reason. I don’t blame her. My mother was perfect: she was beautiful, kind, and the life of the town in multiple ways. When my mom got married to my dad, my aunt was resentful. She actually had been infatuated with my dad before my mom; I mean, my mom met my dad through my aunt. My aunt and dad worked at the same place. That’s how my aunt caught feelings for him. My aunt was even more furious when she found out my mom was pregnant with me. You see, my aunt was never able to get pregnant and was the reason why her marriage ended in divorce; she never got married again. Throughout her whole life, she was filled with spite, so when I showed up on her doorstep and she was forced to take me in, all her anger was lashed out at me.”  


“Tae…”  


“It was so hard. I tried being a good nephew. I tried cleaning for her, planting her a garden, I worked hard in school, but nothing I did was good enough. I had to learn how to cook cause she refused to feed me. That’s how I ended up making dinner every night. Sometimes she would come home screaming, blaming me and my mom for all the wrong in her life. I got so tired of it. She used to smash things and hit me because I resembled my mother too much. Growing up…being trapped like that…anyone would snap.”  


“What happened that night?” Tae’s eyes filled with tears as he looked up at me.  


His voice croaked, “I didn’t mean to do it. I didn’t want her to die. I was never allowed out past eight, so for once, just once, I snuck out to get snacks with Jimin. When I came back, she was there waiting. Immediately she went into how horrible of a person I am, how disgusting I was. She threw plates at me as she screamed about how my father was a deadbeat. But he wasn’t! He was good father he worked hard to provide for us!” I nodded, encouraging him to continue. He was sobbing lightly.  


“I lost it when she called my mother a whore. To say something so disgusting about the most beautiful woman in the world…the most selfless woman…I had it. She came at me to smack me, like always, and I grabbed the lamp and hit her with it. I didn’t mean to. I was angry, and in pain. I was never given time to grieve thanks to her. I knew what I did was wrong, but who would believe me? So I ran. I ran straight to Jimin’s and told him what happened. He was shocked and angry at me for what I did, but instead of treating me like the monster I am, he took me in. He kept me hidden…it wasn’t too long after that that we joined the group.”  


“Tae…”  


“It’s ok to be afraid.”  


“W-what?”  


His eyes were puffy and red, “I would be afraid to…to stand in the presence of a monster.”  


“You’re not a monster!” He was startled by my outburst.  


“Did you not hear me? I killed someone. I took an innocent life out of anger.”  


“She wasn’t innocent.” I stood firm, putting the newspaper back down on the desk. “It wasn’t right to kill her. I won’t pretend like what you did was ok…or sane, but that woman was not innocent. To take her jealousy out on a child, her own nephew, that’s a true monster. To hold resentment to her own family for so many years, especially when they did nothing wrong…that’s a monster.” Tae’s hiccups echoed against the walls. “…I understand her jealousy. It’s the same thing I felt watching my brother grow up and become someone so amazing. He’s a pure, selfless soul; something I always wanted to be. Watching him sacrifice for my mother, watching him push through life to achieve his goals…I would be lying if I didn’t say I was a little bitter. But despite that, I realize that I was just worried about him. I was worried that he was spreading himself too thin. I was actually angry at myself. My jealousy stemmed from the fact that I wasn’t like him.” I smiled bitterly at Taehyung. “I am so proud of him. I actually wanted to be like him instead of relying on him so much. But I can’t go back in time, and I can never be him.”  


“You’re a good person.” Taehyung mumbled.  


“And so are you.” I smiled. “You just wanted to protect your family, and you were pushed a little too hard. It’s ok to admit that you were wrong, but you can’t keep calling yourself a monster, because you’re not. You are a young man, a young boy at the time, that was desperately trying to protect the little memories you still had of a loving family. You, Taehyung, are like my brother; a good soul. People like you, deserve kindness.” I didn’t realize how close I had walked toward Taehyung until his hands were gripping at my shirt. I pulled him into a hug slowly, allowing Taehyung to wrap around me. He sobbed, tears of years of pain spilling out onto my shoulder. We stayed like that for a few minutes; him crying and me rubbing his back like my brother used to do for me.  


“You know, I joined cause there was nothing left for me.” Taehyung spoke after a few minutes of silence that followed his cries. He slowly walked over to his side-table, pulling out a letter deep inside the drawer.  


“This is a letter my mom wrote to me for my birthday. My aunt kept it hidden from me. I had no idea it was even a thing until Jimin broke into the house after the incident and found it. He was just looking for some of my clothes, but he found this in a pile of my aunt’s possessions.”  


“Have you read it?”  


He shook his head, “I’m afraid, too. I don’t want to see my mom’s words. To think that she’s looking down at me, seeing the murderer I am…”  


“Tae, you are killing evil people who do evil deeds because, you thought there was nothing left for you. Your mom would not hate you…she would feel bad.”  


“She shouldn’t…it’s not her fault.”  


“Remember what you told me? You could do the worst thing imaginable, and mothers will still always love their children.” Taehyung smiled, his face puffy from crying.  


“Do you regret joining BTS?” I asked.  


“I joined cause there was and is nothing left for me,” Taehyung started, “But…now I feel like maybe I could live for something more.”  


“Of course, you can. You all can.”  


Taehyung hesitated, “I can’t read this now. It’s too hard. When our mission is complete and I’ve done everything I can to help Jimin and the others, then and only then will I read this letter.”  


“I think that’s a great goal, Tae.” I smiled, holding onto him once more as he cried for the second time that night. Neither of us noticed a smiling Jimin as he walked away from the door.  


In my mind, Taehyung is a good guy.


	12. No More Dream

“Uuuuuugh~” I whined, rubbing at my sore behind. As I walked through the front door, Yoongi handed me a glass of juice.  


Taehyung chuckled, sipping his coffee, “What are you whining about?”  


“What do you think?” I muttered, sitting down at the kitchen counter with a hiss. “I wasn’t expecting a ‘punishment’ early in the morning.”  


“It’s your own fault for running away.” Jin sipped his coffee with elegance.  


“I said I was sorry, and your car is clean now.”  


After the talk with Taehyung last night, Jimin had me sleep in his bed with him again since the basement had not been fixed. When I woke up, Jimin had a devious grin on his face. Before I could ask, I was whipped with his belt twenty times; I’m sure my yelps of pain woke some of the others—if they weren’t already awake. After my punishment, I was instructed to clean Jin’s car. Jimin watched me to make sure I wouldn’t run away again—like hell I would. That leaves us here; I finished cleaning, and now I’m sitting my sore butt down, waiting for breakfast.  


Jimin chuckled, taking his shoes off at the front door, “And I told you that you were going to be punished. Bad girls get punished.”  


I blushed at his words, “I-I know, and I’m ready to clean up the glass, too.”  


“It’s about time. I’ve been feeling a draft coming from the basement for a while now.” Jungkook whined.  


“It’s only been a day. A day and a half, if you count the night she broke it.” Taehyung teased.  


“There will be plenty of time to clean the basement up after breakfast.” Jin chuckled, flipping the eggs like a professional. If there was one thing I appreciated out of this situation, it was Jin’s cooking.  


“I agree.” I drooled happily. Taehyung and Yoongi gave me a mock look of disgust. Just then, Namjoon emerged from his room. “Good morning, Namjoon.”  


“Good morning, Lucy.” His eyes were bagged and red from sleep deprivation. I wasn’t sure what exactly happened last night, but the boys didn’t come home the happiest. All I knew was that the man they tracked was not the secretary, but rather a decoy.  


“Couldn’t sleep?” I hinted at.  


“There’s no time to sleep when there’s work to be done.” Yoongi hummed.  


“Is it that bad that you didn’t find the right guy?”  


“Is it that bad when you kick the ball, but it doesn’t go in the goal?” Jhope snorted. Touché.  


Jin hushed us, “We don’t talk about work at breakfast. This is a time to relax.” It was so interesting to think about. Around a month ago, I was kidnapped, my life threatened, but here I am eating with my captors and actually enjoying it. Maybe I’ve gone insane? But as I sit here, salivating at each bite of this delicious breakfast, I have to remember that these boys also swore to protect me, actually saved me, and have slowly been showing me more and more kindness. I know if I make a slip up, they will be forced to kill me, but at the same time, I know they don’t want to. Deep down, behind all their tragic pasts, there are good souls.  


“Whatcha thinking about?” Jimin grinned, squeezing my right hand.  


“You.” My eyes widened at my mistake. All the guys eyes went wide as well, looking at me with shock. Jungkook froze, half way to taking a bite. No one made a move. “I-I mean all of you! I was thinking about all of you!” There was silence, only interrupted when Taehyung coughed. Naturally, I chose to ignore the ‘perv’ that was said underneath that cough.  


“What about us?” Jimin questioned.  


“Just…you aren’t who I thought you were. You’re kinder than I expected at first.”  


“Well, you were abducted. I doubt most people would find their captors kind.” Yoongi snickered.  


Jungkook mumbled, “I think she hit her head.”  


“I’m giving you guys a compliment, can’t you just take it.” I groaned lightly.  


“Sorry, no one’s received one of those before.” Namjoon joked. It was light, but you could hear the deeper message underneath it.  


“I know why you do what you do, Namjoon, but everyone else doesn’t have much of a connection to this Choi Hajoon. Why join in?”  


“I already told you, to help Namjoon.” Taehyung explained.  


“But none of you were friends before. Did you become friends after the incident?” I was referring to Namjoon’s mother’s death.  


Jin wiped his mouth, “It was after the incident, yes, but we didn’t join just because of that. I told you before how Namjoon has saved each one of us. None of us had any purpose in life.” I remember Taehyung saying similar words. “Namjoon was around all of our ages, had the money and the compassion. He took all of us in and gave us a reason to live; to help him.”  


“I see…you helped all of them through their own hardships.” I smiled at Namjoon. He returned it back.  


“I suppose. When you’re broken, you find people who are broken as well, then you try to fit the pieces together to make it work.” Namjoon finished.  


“I still don’t know everyone’s story, and I don’t expect you to tell me, but I appreciate what you do tell me.”  


“You shouldn’t,” Jimin shook his head, “The more you know, the more danger you are in. You are basically an accomplice at this point. No wonder Hajoon targeted you.”  


“You said I would be ok, though.”  


Jimin nodded, not looking at me, “Of course you will be. I told you, I don’t like innocent blood spilled. We won’t let that happen. However, it doesn’t change the fact that you shouldn’t get involved more than you should.”  


‘It’s hard to hear you say that when you’re the one who keeps pulling me in.’ I thought, but didn’t dare voice out.  


“Ah, I joined cause there was nothing left for me, but Jimin…there’s more to Jimin than you know.” Taehyung nodded to himself.  


Jimin glared, “Watch it.”  


“Alright that’s enough. I said this is a time to relax, did I not?” Jin warned. He had a sternness to his gestures that made you want to listen.  


“After breakfast, we need to get back to work. Can I trust that you won’t run away if I leave downstairs by yourself?” Namjoon questioned me warily.  


I nodded, vigorously, “I promise! I’ll clean the glass, and come right back.”  


“That reminds me, I need to call our repair man to come by and fix it.” Yoongi stated, getting up to wash his plate.  


“Actually, I already called.” Jhope got up next.  


I was puzzled, “How can you get people to come out here, and not be suspicious?”  


Jhope chuckled, leaning against the counter, “When you’ve lived the way we do, you make connections with people. We know a handful of people who we’ve convinced that we're just a group of friends living off the land. We’re so charming they never suspect a thing, and there’s no way to trace us cause we always use cash, and the people we are in contact with are no bodies on the social ladder.”  


“It might just be easier to say no one cares about the lives behind the people who give them business.” Yoongi interjected.  


“How do you make your money, exactly?” I squinted.  


“Some of it comes from when we used to have families,” Namjoon didn’t even flinch, “And most of it comes from stealing from Hajoon.”  


“How do you steal without getting caught?”  


Jimin grabbed my plate when I nodded that I was done, taking it with his, “It’s pretty easy actually. Hajoon has many businesses aka many vaults. You can swipe huge amounts of dough almost every time on the field. If only he was as careless with his location as he is with his money”  


“Why would he do that, though?”  


Jimin continued to clean our plates, “Keep his money in vaults? It’s a sign of power; no bank can hold all his money. But it’s not the kind of vaults you’re thinking of. They’re huge with dozens of security guys surrounding it around the clock. Security cameras, henchman, lasers, they’re all over the place.”  


“It’s like an action movie.” Jhope laughed.  


“I’m guessing you’ve infiltrated many.”  


“Actually no.” Taehyung shook his head. “It’s too dangerous to constantly be in and out of every business. Plus, there’s no telling how many exactly he does have—him being a secret mob lord and all. We swiped a handsome amount the first couple of times we were out and called it good. Taking too much risks him seeing us and tracking us.”  


I nodded slowly, “You guys have really thought this through.”  


“Of course!” Namjoon laughed. “Revenge has no time for the incompetent.”  


I paused for a second before asking, “Just one more question. Why did you choose this place?”  


“That’s simple. This was a secret summer home that Jungkook’s family used to own.” Before I could ask to have them elaborate—  


“Hyung…” Jungkook warned lowly. His eyes were slanted into a menacing glare.  


“Ah…sorry.” Taehyung rubbed the back of his neck. Jungkook slammed his chair back, taking his plate and chucking it into the sink before walking off, probably up to his room.  


“Ah, don’t worry. He’ll be fine.” Jimin winced.  


Yoongi shook his head, “That kid was always too sensitive.”  


“You can’t blame him.” Jin sighed. I felt a tap on my shoulder as I focused on the conversation displayed before me. I was greeted with Jimin smiling down at me when I looked up.  


“Come on. We have work and you need to clean.” I nodded at his words and headed downstairs with him. “I’m leaving the door closed for privacy on both ends. Please don’t make me regret it.”  


I shook my head, “I’m not running away, I promise.” I knew my promise wouldn’t convince him, but I tried my best to reassure him anyway. They were giving me a chance at earning their trust. I couldn’t throw it away.  


Jimin nodded, “Just come up when you’re finished. It shouldn’t take you more than an hour.” With that he left me alone with a broom and dustpan.  


Earlier when I was cleaning the car, I had pushed as much glass that was outside back into the building. Now all there was to do was to sweep, so I did. It wasn’t hard work. The only real concern was maybe stepping on glass, but I was careful. The potted plant shards were the easiest to sweep up, due to them being large in size and actually having a color. After all the glass was thrown into a big garbage bag, I worked on the dried-up dirt next. It was easy to sweep, but it left a residue.  


“I think there’s still soap and towels in the bathroom.” I mumbled. As I walked to the bathroom, I stopped in my tracks. Something felt off. All of a sudden, I got this sinking feeling in my stomach. I listened closely to see if I would hear anything unusual. I could hear the wind outside blowing, and for a second I could have sworn I heard the grass crunching underneath heavy boots. I whipped around only to see no one at the window. I quickly grabbed the supplies and began cleaning the dirt as quickly as I could. The unsettling feeling eventually went away due to me getting absorbed into cleaning. I found myself cleaning off the dust from all the old furniture, and even scrubbing the walls to a shade slightly lighter…But then the feeling came back. I had my back to the window as I scrubbed the wall, but I could feel eyes burrowing into the back of my head. I was scared to turn around, fear of being right.  


“Hey!” I jumped slightly as the door to the basement swung open; it was Jimin. I glanced at the window, catching the blur of a boot leaving.  


“Did you see that?” I whispered, sweat forming.  


Jimin furrowed his brows, “See what?” He looked around the place. “You cleaned everything? You didn’t have to do that. This is old furniture that’s never used. Thank you though. It looks great!” The way his eyes turned crescent gave me a feeling of security. If Jimin was there I was safe.  


“I thought it would be nice to have a clean basement. I think I got everything.” I glanced around the room once more; I did do a good job.  


Jimin squeezed my shoulder, “You did great. Come on up.” I smiled and followed, still a little uneasy.  


The rest of the day was kind of hectic—not for me, but everyone else. I sat in the living room to watch tv as the boys conversed over locations, people, and numbers I didn’t understand. I wasn’t allowed to leave their eyes, nor was I allowed to speak. Rain started to fall roughly around noon, so I took a moment to watch it through the living room window. Rain was something that I always adored growing up; it made me feel peaceful. What didn’t make me feel peaceful was the outline of a man standing in the roadway to the house.  


“J-Jimin.” I whispered.  


“Not now. We’re busy.” Jimin was so stressed he didn’t even look at me.  


“Jimin…” I pleaded, my eyes not tearing from the man’s form.  


Jimin sighed, turning around to face me. “What is—” I think he stopped from the sight of panic across my face.  


“H-he’s here.” Jimin immediately jumped up, rushing to the window, but just as he got there, the man ran off, back down the road.  


“D-did you see him?” I didn’t mean for it come out as loud as it did, but I was worried he didn’t see, and I was panicking.  


“I don’t know. I think so?” Jimin glanced around before pulling me to a standing position, pressed against his chest.  


“Who was it?” Jhope ask, concerned laced in his voice.  


Jimin shrugged, pulling me to the couch, “I don’t know. It could have been a man, it could have been a tree.”  


“But Jimin—” I tried protesting; there was no way it was a tree.  


“Hush,” Jimin placed his index finger on my lips. “We can’t rule out paranoia. You had a really bad night not that long ago.” He draped a blanket over my lap, quickly shutting the curtains. “Just watch some tv. We’ll be done soon.” I nodded, following his instructions. No one question him due to him being accurate. I had a nightmare about the incident last night even…so maybe it was just paranoia.  


The next day came and went with small things popping up, causing me concern. It had become an unspoken rule for me to sleep with Jimin in his room. This made me feel at ease, knowing I had someone there by my side, but during the day—even if the boys were there—I felt isolated. I would look at the window, feeling like someone was watching me. Sometimes I could have sworn something was tapping against the house outside. Anxiety got so bad that Jin had to lock the door to the basement, due to its broken window still not being fixed. Besides me going insane, that day came and went, leading to the next day.  


The boys had no leads as of yet, leading them to be home all day and me spending more time with them…well as much as possible. The boys were frantic today, running around with papers and pens trying to pinpoint too complex of things for me to comprehend. I stood in the kitchen washing dishes as the boys discussed business. I stared at the trees called the backyard through the window above the sink. For as big as the front yard was, the back was nothing but the forest.  


Whoosh  


I had to blink a couple times, confusion apparent.  


‘Did I just see a dear?’ I questioned in my mind. Something had just caused a tree to swing its leaves…something just ran. I peered as close as I could, but all I could see was more trees.  


Whoosh  


Tilting my head, I caught the sights of something standing near a tree…someone…  


“You ok?” I jolted out my trance to see Jungkook next to me with an empty mug.  


I smiled weakly at him, “Yeah, do you want me to clean that for you?”  


He nodded, “Thank you.” He was about to turn around, but he paused. “You look a little sick, you should lie down.” As cold and quiet Jungkook could be, he was a very caring person.  


I smiled, “I will when I’m done.” As he walked away, I glanced out back to see nothing. ‘Am I going crazy?’

Later that night the boys were downstairs watching a movie. I told them I wanted to rest for a bit. Luckily, they trusted me enough to be upstairs by myself. As I was laying in the bed, I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching me. I know there was no one in the room, but eyes following my every movement made what little sanity I had left leap off a bridge. I jolted off the bed and ran to the window. I knew wasn’t crazy.  


“I see you.” I muttered to the air, only my ears hearing my voice. Below the window was a man looking back up. I couldn’t make out who he was.  


“Jimin!” I screamed, running down the stairs. Half the guys were standing, hands on their guns when I tripped into the living room. “There is someone outside!”  


“Are you sure?” He got up cautiously.  


“I’m not crazy, Jimin.” I pleaded, tears threatening to fall. “I’ve been feeling like someone has been watching me all day a-and the other day!”  


“Ok, ok.” Jimin rubbed his head.  


Namjoon grabbed his shoulder, “It could be one of Hajoon’s men. We should check it out.” Everyone nodded.  


Jimin grabbed my face, forcing me to look him in the eyes, “Stay in here. We’ll be right back.” I nodded, rushing to the window to see them scatter around the property with a gun and flashlight each. After twenty minutes, they all came back in.  


“Anything?” I pleaded as Yoongi came in first. He just shook his head no.  


“How about you and I just go to bed?” Jimin suggested. I saw the tired expression on all their faces.  


“But I swear I saw someone.” I clutched my shirt.  


Jhope scratched his head, “Maybe it’s just—”  


“DO NOT say paranoia.” I roared, rushing back upstairs. I wasn’t crazy.  


A couple minutes later, Jimin came in. No words were exchanged as I silently cried. He slowly crawled into bed, pulling my shaking body into his. I fell asleep crying into his chest.

 

“Well, she was right.” Yoongi chucked his shoes off. “There’s footprints everywhere in the back and front. It looks like someone was scavenging the house.”  


Jhope groaned, “Now I feel bad.”  


Taehyung sighed beside him on the couch, “Get in line.”  


“We have no time to feel bad. This means someone knows our location and we need to do something about it. It is highly likely one of Hajoon’s men.” Namjoon’s tone was strict. It left no room for arguments.  


“There’s something else.” Came Jin’s voice from the dining table. “I’ve been tapping into every phone call I could think of directly linked to Hajoon, and I think I have an exact lead to his whereabouts.”  


“Are you serious?” Jhope sat up. “Namjoon that means…”  


Namjoon’s smile was demented but genuine, “My vengeance…”  


“How sure are you, Jin?” Yoongi rubbed his temples. “If this ends up being a wild goose chase like last time…”  


Jin shook his head, “No, this time we got him.”  


“What about Lucy?” Jimin asked, sitting up as well.  


“What about her?”  


“If this really is Hajoon, we’ll need every last one of us there.”  


“and?” Jin gestured to continue.  


“with someone watching the house we can’t just leave her alone.” Everyone was silent.  


Yoongi tilted his head, “We can’t bring her with us.”  


“That’s what I’m saying. Surely whoever is watching will notice if we leave. We can’t just leave her.”  


Namjoon sighed, “We have no choice but to leave her here. This is far more important than some random girl we captured.”  


“But—”  


“No buts, Jimin!” Namjoon snapped. “We are this close to having that bastard! We are not throwing this opportunity away for her!”  


“At least prep the poor girl!” Jimin stood up, raising his voice. No one dared to question the leader, but Jimin always had a short temper.  


“Jin, based on what you got, how much time do we have before he’s on the move again.” Jhope jumped in.  


“According to these messages, he’ll be in Seoul for a couple days. If we leave tomorrow morning we can be in the heart of the city in a few hours and back before night falls.”  


Jhope nodded, “Then it’s settled. I’ll train her.”


	13. Miss Right

“Jhope is the most skilled in self-defense.”  


I blinked up at the men staring at me, “Okaaaaayyy…?” I drawled out confused. I was woken up and dragged outside to the front yard early that morning. I sat in the grass, crisscrossed, watching the guys maneuver around the yard, frantically talking in hushed voices.  


Jimin crouched next to me, “We have a lead on Hajoon. We will be leaving tomorrow morning.”  


“So who’s staying to watch me?” There was silence. “Jimin?”  


….  


……  


Jhope took a step forward, rubbing his wrists, “I’m going to be teaching you self-defense.”  


“Excuse me?”  


“We need all men on the ground. Therefore, you’ll be left alone.”  


I was stunned, “W-what?”  


Jimin grabbed my hand, “It’ll just be for one day. We’ll be back by tomorrow night.”  


“What about the guy lurking last night? You said you found footprints!”  


“Looks like you’re in charge of protecting the house.” Yoongi snickered.  


“You can’t be serious!” I stood up. I did not want to do this.  


“We only have so much daylight in the day, and that’s all the amount of training I’m going to be able to give you. So, we better get started.” Jhope cracked his neck, stretching out his limbs.  


“I don’t want to do this!” I cried in protest. “There is no way I’m going to be able to defend myself if someone seriously breaks in, especially if it’s one of Hajoon’s men.”  


“The likelihood of someone breaking in is very low.” Jungkook reassured.  


I was flabbergasted, “And if someone does?”  


Jhope sighed, “That’s what I’m teaching you. In case worse comes to show, you can protect yourself and the house.”  


“If worse comes to show, you can always shoot them.” Yoongi shrugged, showing off his pistol.  


I shook my head, stunned, “Why can’t one of you just stay?”  


Jimin squeezed my shoulder, “We need everyone on the field. There is no way we can take him down with anything less.”  


“I’ve never been athletic!” I desperately protested, spewing words now.  


“Self-defense has nothing to do with athleticism.” Jhope got in a fighting stance. This was getting serious.  


I snorted, “I beg to differ. Have you seen your muscles?” My hand betrayed me by automatically pointing to Jimin’s abs. “I have nothing to offer in that field.” I was curvy and on the thin side. I had no flab to me, but no muscle either.  


“Don’t need to.”  


“I’ve never been in a fight in my life.”  


Taehyung chortled, “She thinks that’s not obvious?”  


“What if I just run away?” Was I really trying to threaten them right now?  


“You run away, we hunt you down and kill you.” Namjoon had his arms crossed, a serious look on his face.  


“Unless someone else gets to her first.” Yoongi whispered.  


“You are the safest here, in a familiar place where you know the layout.” Jimin tried to encourage me.  


Jungkook nodded, “That’s like the basics before the basics of self-defense. Good tip.” His thumb up pissed me off.  


“This is abs—” Before I could finish my sentence, I was flung into the air, my head spinning before I was slammed onto my back, hard. The wind was knocked out of me. In a split-second, I was flipped onto my stomach, arms held behind my back in one hand, and a gun pointed at my forehead.”  


“Lesson one: Never take your eyes off your opponent.” Jhope voice was threatening. Swiftly, he was up, dragging me up with him. My head twirled, the only thing I could hear were low claps from the other six.  


Taehyung laughed, “Good effort.” I glared at him.  


“That was unfair and rude.” I glared at the boys who just laughed. “I wasn’t ready.”  


Jhope sneered, “You think a burglar is going to wait for you to be ready?”  


“W-well no, but…”  


“But nothing,” Jhope tsked. “Life is a game of survival. If we aren’t here, you need to know how to guard yourself.”

 

I tried to look tough, “And what if I decided to use these moves on you?” Jhope deadpanned at me before grabbing my arm, forcing me into a frontal somersault, slamming my back into the ground once more. As I wheezed out, his knee came to my chest, pinning me there with a gun pointed at my face again.  


“Yeah I think we’ll be ok.” Jungkook laughed. They were just mocking me now.  


I moaned, “I get it. Just let me up.” Jhope shook his head before pulling me up. “Do we have to do this in front of everyone though?”  


“We’re just observing to make sure you’re properly equipped.” Jimin smiled from the sidelines, leaning against Jungkook.  


Taehyung snorted, “Maybe you are, but I’m here to watch the show.”  


“It’s a little embarrassing.” I mumbled.  


Jin shook his head, “It’s like we’ve said, Jhope is the best in self-defense. His body maneuvers like a God.”  


“Can we at least start with tips or something?” I tried to reason, but in a split-second, Jhope was charging me. This time though, I ran. The boys were hollering, some folded over in laughter as I ran screaming from Jhope. It didn’t take him long to catch up and slam me back down again. I moaned in pain for the umpteenth time.  


‘This is going to be a long day.’ I bitterly thought.  


Jhope pulled me up, “If someone is ever charging you, you need to grab something and either throw it or wait to smack them with it. You will never be able to out run them, especially in a house, if they aren’t in some way injured.”  


“Ok.”  


“Look at me.” Jhope had a serious look on his face. “If someone come behind you and bearhugs you, I want you to squat. Once in a squatting position, bring your elbow back as fast and as hard as you can upwards into their face. You can also peel back their fingers in this position, but the point is to confuse them and get in a position where you can strike back.” I nodded at his words, trying to absorb every last one of them. Jhope came behind me, demonstrating a couple times. He waited patiently for me to get the hang of squatting and elbowing.  


“Another trick if someone bear-hugs you is to push your butt out towards them, full force. This awkward positioning will stagger them for a second so you can bend out of their grip. Try it.” A little bit more awkward, but very affective. “If anyone grabs your wrist, twist your arm so thumb lines up with where his is—this doesn’t have to be exact—next jerk your arm at elbows length. Good.”  


“This isn’t so bad.” I smiled softly.  


“Don’t get cozy just yet.” Jhope snapped. “It’s a lot different of a situation when you have someone really attacking you.”  


I gulped, “Yes sir.”  


“If you can’t twist out of the wrist grip, or if you can’t maneuver out of a bearhug, aim for the knees. They are a weak spot that they won’t see coming. This will stagger them, and if you hit hard enough in the right spot, you can break their knee. Now try it.” Jhope grabbed my wrist, and I stumbled trying to kick him correctly. It was a little difficult to get accuracy down, but maybe that had to do with me not wanting to hurt him. Sure enough, I was kicking him perfectly…just lightly.  


“Next—”  


“Can’t we take a break?” I whined. When we had started, clouds were above our heads. Now, the sun was directly above our sweaty bodies, indicating the change in time. “This is a lot to take in.”  


Jhope narrowed his eyes, “Danger doesn’t take a break.”  


“Continue then.” I groaned, knowing I wasn’t going to get my way.  


“If someone pins you on your back to the wall or ground—like a choke hold for example—put your hands in-between their arms in a triangle form, and push out fast. This will break their hold. Even if you skip that, you need to aim for eyes, nose, and throat. This goes for the wrist-grip as well. Use whatever you have on you, even if it’s just your nails, to dig or claw into the eye sockets.”  


“You want me to blind them.” I determined.  


“And cause immense pain.”  


“What if they have me on my stomach?”  


“I want you to slam your head back as far as you can into their skull. This will give you time to get out of their hold. Once out you have more options. You can aim for the knee, the eyes, or you can take the palm of your hand and hit their nose upward—this will break it, affectively closing their airway.”  


“There are too many options.” I breathed.  


“You need to know all your choices so you can take the proper measures to determine what will be the most affective against your opponent; all enemies are different.”  


“Good point.”  


“Now practice.” Jhope came behind me, showing me how to elbow right below the pectoral muscle to knock the wind out, then into a knee kick. I was then showed how to do the same with a headlock, before aiming for the genitals; nothing was off limits. Once again, I was slammed on my back, but this time I was instructed where to aim at the neck or below the ear for the most pain.  


“All objects are on the table as well.” Jimin hollered as we got done with another set of moves.  


“He’s right.” Jhope was sweating. “Hairspray, keys, vases: they can all be useful in defending yourself.”  


“Or you just shoot them. Make sure your gun is loaded and ready though, and there is a good distance between you guys. Otherwise, you won’t have enough time to aim and shoot.” Yoongi noted.  


I gaped, “I don’t think I could shoot someone.”  


“No one is asking you.” Jimin smiled. “But these are just more things to consider.”  


Jin clapped his hands. “Alright, how about a break. We’ve been out here for hours.” I was silently thanking the lord for Jin’s beautiful interjection. Just as I walked through the front door, Taehyung threw me against the wall, arm at my throat affectively pinning my back. I gasped for air, confusion clouding my thoughts.  


“What did we say about never letting your guard down?” Taehyung warned, menacingly. “If you can’t get out of this hold, no food for you.” I glanced around room, the boys weren’t even fazed, casually walking past as if nothing of interest was happening. I struggled to push him off of me, but his arm dug deeper into my throat, forcing me to cough.  


“Did you learn nothing?” Namjoon sneered, finally glancing at us from the dining table. I grabbed Taehyung’s collar pushing back and swinging his head towards mine, I faltered a bit due to not wanting to hurt him, but he must have got the memo, because he released me with a pat on my back.  


“Nice.” He chuckled. I sighed, walking to the table, but just as I was about to sit down, Yoongi grabbed my wrist. I instinctively, twisted and jerked like Jhope told me to do, breaking the hold. Before I could blink, Yoongi push me half way down on the table, hands around my neck. I gasped.  


“Enemies will always be persistent.” He grunted. I brought my knee up to his groin along with my thumbs to his eyes.  


“I-I don’t want to hurt you.” I stuttered. The guys laughed at me shaking beneath Yoongi’s grip. Yoongi helped me up, satisfied at my attempt.  


“That sounds less threatening when you’re the one pinned.”  


I pouted, “I really don’t want to hurt you though.”  


“Do we need to hurt you to take this seriously?” Namjoon raised an eyebrow.  


“I am taking this seriously.” I stomped my foot. The boys stayed in their lanes as we ate. No one made a move to attack. I would say I was relaxed, but I was wary of all of them at this point.  


I finished first, “I’ll wash the dishes.” Everyone hummed in agreement. After dinner, the boys huddled around the tv to watch a movie. I watched the trees outside as I washed the dishes, grateful that there was nothing there this time.  


As I walked over to the couches, I was spun around, flipped onto my back on the couch. Jungkook’s knee came rested on my chest and a smug smirk graced his lips.  


I groaned, “You guys just enjoy flipping me.”  


“Why though it _is _amusing,” Jungkook tutted. “It just shows you’re lacking.”  
__

__“I just started training today.” I whined. “Give me a break!”  
_ _

__Jhope shook his head, “We leave tomorrow morning. Whatever you’re capable of now, is what you’ll be able to use tomorrow if something happens.” I grabbed onto Jungkook’s collar, pulling myself up. Using my body weight, I flung him off of me to the side of the couch. I didn’t expect him latch on, flinging me with him. I was once again on my back.  
_ _

__“If that had been anybody else, that may have worked.” Jungkook smirked down, pinning me once more, before helping me up. The rest of the day was just that. A couple of calm breaks, before someone was attacking me. They never hurt me badly, and I understood why they were doing this, but man was it a pain. I was forced outside again to engage in relearning step by step moves, before being forced inside to deal with being jumped._ _

____

“My body is killing me.” I whimpered, throwing on the modest nightgown Jimin had bought me a week ago. I had just finished a bath and the house was silent. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about tomorrow; I would be all by myself. Namjoon had told me how no one had found their hideout since the first day they moved in, five years ago. This was extremely bizarre. The boys were so careful, so how could one of Hajoon’s men find them? Yet, the only possibility was Hajoon. There is no one else the boys have beef with nor who would even know them or want to fight with them.  


It significantly concerned me to think that there was a madman who had been watching me for the last couple of day; someone directly watching my every move. I knew I was a target due my affiliation with the boys, but to actually experience being hunted was traumatizing. I had no idea if I could really fight someone off or not. Would adrenaline kick in? Would the training be enough?  


‘It’s so quiet.’ I listened, ear to the door, for any sound, but there was none. The boys had calmed down with the training a couple hours ago. In exchange, they were bustling around preparing for tomorrow. ‘I don’t want them to leave.’ I was worried about being alone, but I was also worried for them.  


“Lucy—” Suddenly the door opened, revealing Jimin, and smacking me in the face.  


I stumbled back hold my head, “Ack!”  


“Are you ok? What were you doing?” Jimin struggled between being confused and concerned.  


I waved my hand at him, “I’m fine. I just noticed how quiet it is.” He nodded.  


“It’s been a long day. We’ve got everything packed.”  


I didn’t look at him. I didn’t want him to see my sadness, “That’s good. Tomorrow you’ll be gone and you’ll finally have that man out of your life.”  


“Well, if all goes according to plan.” I couldn’t see what he was doing. Suddenly, I felt my left arm pulled tightly in his grip, pulling me to the ground. I didn’t get a chance to blink before I was on my stomach, wrists pin next to my head. Jimin hands held them there as he sat squarely on my lower back. He leaned close to my ear. I could feel his hot breath as he whispered to me.  


“Never turn your back on your enemy.”  


“You’re not my enemy, though.” I felt a shiver run down my spine as he continued to hover near my ear.  


He chuckled, “If I was, you would be dead now. Have you learned nothing from today? Do I need to punish you?”  


“No.” I whimpered. “I’ve learned…I’m just not ready.”  


“You are ready. You have to be.”  


My face was beginning to flush, “I’ve had one day of training.”  


“Hajoon’s men could be out there right now. I need you to be strong. I need you to be ready to protect yourself.”  


“I’m trying.” I huffed.  


Jimin’s grip tightened, “You’re in a very dangerous position right now. You’re basically defenseless. What will you do if some strange man gets you in this situation, hmm? You can’t let any other guy have you like this.” Every word he said made my body hot.  


“I-I won’t. If he a-attempts, I-I’ll smash my head into his and get the upper h-hand.” Jimin chuckled at my words. There was silence around us, now.  


Jimin sighed into my ear, “You’re so fragile.”  


“Pardon?” Jimin flipped me over, pinning me on my back, hands still pinned to the side of my head. He rested his forehead on mine.  


Jimin whispered, his breath fanning my face, “You’re fragile. You’ve never lived a dangerous life like us. You’re so innocent. If I had it my way, I wouldn’t leave you. You would be safe, knowing that no one could get to you. But, it’s so important to kill this man.”  


“I understand.” I whispered back. “I think…I’m more afraid of what might happen to you guys out there.”  


“I told you not to worry about us.” Jimin chuckled softly. “We don’t deserve it.”  


I gazed into his eyes softly, “That’s not true. Everyone deserves to have someone care about them…and for you…that’s me.” Jimin’s eyes are a deep brown. They were so easy to get lost in; so hard to read, to understand. I could never tell what he was thinking. So I laid there, Jimin sitting on me, gazing into his eyes, trying to figure out what he was thinking.  


Jimin finally smiled, “Believe me, someone like me doesn’t deserve kindness from anybody.”  


“What happened to you to make you think that?”  


“You don’t want to know.”  


“I do.”  


“It’s time to sleep.” Jimin gently pulled me up with him. I laid in bed, head buried in his chest as he played with my hair. There had never been any doubt. I knew Jimin was hiding something from me. I just hoped that one day he would be comfortable one day to tell me. 

  


“We’ll be back before nightfall.”  


“I know.”  


“Start expecting us around eight or nine.”  


“I understand.”  


“Jin prepared dinner ahead of time. If you get hungry it’s in the fridge.”  


“Jimin, let her go.” Jhope groaned, throwing his head back. I giggled as Jimin pouted at him.  


“We’re only going to be gone for the day.” Namjoon came up, grabbing a suitcase full of weapons.  


“Like I told Jimin, I know.” I smiled slightly. The boys were stuffing the van with all their equipment. No one had said a word that morning due to this. It was when they were minutes away from leaving, Jimin felt the need to reassure me. I was grateful for that because, even though I stood here calm, watching them get ready to leave, I was scared.  


Taehyung slung an arm around Jimin’s shoulder, “Don’t worry, we’ve been doing this for a while. We’ll be fine.” I laughed as he walked away.  


“Please do be careful.” Namjoon smiled before walking off to hand Jungkook more ammo. They were really leaving this time. This was it. One by one they piled in the car.  


“I’ll be waiting here.” I lowered my head, avoiding eye contact.  


Jimin cupped my face in his hands, “I promise, we’re coming back. Don’t be afraid.” I nodded, stunned by how serious he was. His calm aura washed over me, throwing all my doubts and fears out the window. I watched them drive away before closing the door and locking it behind me, unaware of the man in the woods watching the whole time.


	14. Danger pt.2

_“Hey!” A hand came slamming down on my back, knocking my cheap phone to the ground. As I grabbed it, a pink shoe came into view, pushing me to the ground.  
_

_“Listen when Isabella talks to you.” The girl sneered. I had no clue who she was nor did I want to know.  
_

_“I’ve heard you’ve been talking shit, Lucy.” Isabel grimaced down at me. She had me surrounded by the whole middle school.  
_

_“Who? Where?” I questioned, standing up.  
_

_Isabella got in my face, “On social media, where else? I have eyes and ears all around this school, bitch. And a little birdie told me you’ve been talking about me.”  
_

_“Don’t blame her. She’s just jealous you’re so pretty.” Her little sidekick giggled.  
_

_I raised an eyebrow, “You’re irrelevant to me, Isabel. I haven’t said a thing about you.”  
_

_“What the fuck did you just say to me?”  
_

_“I said you’re irrelevant. Now, how about we go back to ignoring each other.” I tried to say as calmly as I could.  
_

_Isabel pushed me, “How about we fight?”  
_

_“Fight?”  
_

_“Fight me, bitch! You want to talk so much, let’s fight!”  
_

_“I’m not going to fight you.”  
_

_“Are you scared?” She mocked.  
_

_“I don’t fight.”  
_

_“Careful, she’ll just get her brother to come help her.” One of the boys on the side laughed.  
_

_Isabel shook her head, “I feel bad for your brother. He’s actually pretty hot, and here you are…a loser.”  
_

_“Good for you Isabel, can we move on please?”  
_

_She pushed me again, “We’re done when I say we’re done. Now fight me!” Isabella took one swing at me. I ducked, pushing her to the side before bulldozing my way through the crowd. Her and the rest of the crowd followed as I ran to the tree Behn and I always climbed. Immediately, I climbed up the thing.  
_

_“Look at the monkey!” A boy hollered from below. Isabella jumped trying to grab on to something to get me down, but to no avail.  
_

_“Coward! You can’t stay up there forever!” She shouted. “What kind of girl climbs trees? You’re a nature freak!” She tried throwing a rock but ultimately failed at that as well.  
_

_“Hey, do we have a problem?” Just then, all eyes turned to Behn as he slowly made his way to the crowd.  
_

_“You going to have your brother fight all your battles?” Isabel hissed.  
_

_“And if she is?” Behn pushed her, sending everyone into a fit of gasps.  
_

_“Hey man, you can’t touch her. She’s a girl.” One of the guys stepped forward.  
_

_“Should I touch you instead?” The menacing way Behn said it made the poor boy back away without a second thought. “If you want to act tough then act tough. I would never hit a lady in my life, but I don’t see a lady standing in front of me, so if you swing, I’m swinging back.” Behn pushed Isabel again.  
_

_“I-I’m done.” Isabel stuttered.  
_

_Behn took a step forward, “That’s right you are. Next time I see you messing with her, there will be no warning.” This is when I noticed the group of jocks Behn hung out with. They were hyping him from the side. The circle of middle schoolers immediately dispersed; No one messed with Behn. For one, he was such a likable guy—he was friends with everyone—and two, they knew he didn’t play around.  
_

_As soon as the crowd left, Behn turned to me with a faint smile. “You can come down now.”  
_

_I did, with a frown. “You shouldn’t have done that. Now everyone is going to be talking about how you picked on a girl.”  
_

_“I don’t care, and neither should you.” He snorted.  
_

_“Well I do!” I shouted, tears brimming my eyes.  
_

_“Why are you getting so worked up? I’m just protecting you like I always have.”  
_

_“I don’t need you to protect me! I can fight for myself.”  
_

_“Lucy you’ve never been in a fight in your life.”  
_

_“So?” I stomped my foot.  
_

_Behn furrowed his eyebrows, “So you shouldn’t. Fights aren’t a good thing. They can get you into serious trouble.”  
_

_“Take your own advice.”  
_

_“I’m your brother, this is what I do.” Behn stated with a frown. “I’m sorry if that bothers you.” I hiccupped in reply as he walked away.  
_

_“Thank you.” I mumbled to myself. _  
__

__I bitterly smiled down at the plate in my hand, “They never picked on me again after that. It’s funny Behn, Isabella moved a month after that incident. I wonder where she’s at right now?” I was speaking to myself.  
_ _

__“I wish you could have heard me say thank you. I really was grateful, but I guess I was just more scared what would happen to you if you kept sticking up for me. It’s sad how kids can’t articulate correctly.” I wish I could go back in time. I don’t think I would have fought Isabella still, but I would tell my brother how concerned I was for him. I would tell him that he was my biggest support growing up and that at the end of the day, I needed him.  
_ _

__I walked up stairs to the hall of bedrooms, “You didn’t treat me different after that, did you, Behn? You acted like the whole thing never happened. You were still so popular at school, and I ended up making some friends along the way. Whenever someone tried to give me a hard time, I would just say your name and they would back away. I wish you were here. I wish you could protect me now.” I got teary-eyed as I leaned my forehead against Jungkook’s door. I had no intention of going in, but I needed to walk around.  
_ _

__“Mommy…if I told you I was scared would you hold me like you used to? When I would come home upset, you’d always hold me telling me how it would all be ok. Can you do that again?” I whimpered into thin air. “I’ve never been a fighter. I don’t know what is going to happen tonight, but I need you so badly.” I sluggishly lowered myself to the ground. I don’t know how long I was in that position, but the clock chiming was my only indication that it had been a while. I got up from my uncomfortable position to go back down stairs to watch more tv.  
_ _

__“The boys won’t be back for a while.” I mumbled, looking at the clock  
_ _

__Scritch-Scritch  
_ _

__‘What was that?’ I paused in my footsteps. I lowered myself to the ground, hiding behind the kitchen counter.  
_ _

__Scritch-Screech  
_ _

__I glanced around, before crawling to the couches, ducking behind one. I peered down the hall to the basement door. I remembered locking that door after the boys had left. Now…I could clearly see the handle wiggling.  
_ _

__‘Someone’s trying to get in.’ My heart was thumping wildly against my chest. ‘Someone’s here! Someone’s here!’ As quietly as I could, I moved, low to the ground, back to the kitchen. I grabbed a knife from the drawer. I peered up to see if anyone was there outside; no one. That’s a good sign there is only one guy. Jhope’s words came back to mind:  
_ _

__“It’s possible to fight off multiple people, but you will be at an extreme disadvantage. At your skill, you’ll only be able to handle one on one.”  
_ _

__Scri-i-i…  
_ _

__The noise stopped. Carefully, I made my way up the stairs and into Taehyung’s room. I crawled under the bed, facing the door.  
_ _

__‘I just need to stay calm. If he comes in, he might not find me.’_ _

____

_“Lucy!” My mom came running out of the backdoor. “Where are you?”  
_

_“Over here!” I shouted, tears running down my face. She walked up, kitchen towel in hand.  
_

_She crouched beneath the broken picnic table, “What are you doing under here?”  
_

_“I just wanted to be alone.” I murmured.  
_

_Mom hummed, “That’s not true. Come on out.”  
_

_I shook my head, “I don’t want to.”  
_

_“Grandma made cookies.” She cooed. “Baby-girl, what happened?”  
_

_“Behn already told you, didn’t he?”  
_

_She hummed, pulling me into her arms, “He did. He told me the kids were harassing you again.”  
_

_“He almost got in a fight with Isabel.” I mumbled into her chest as she rubbed my back.  
_

_“You know I don’t condone violence, and maybe I should be around more…”  
_

_“This isn’t about you, mom…”  
_

_She breathed, “I know, but I want you to know that I’m proud of the both of you. Sometimes you’ve got to stick up for what you believe. And sometimes you have to fight to protect yourself.”  
_

_“Now you sound like you want me to fight.”  
_

_She pulled me away to look me in the eyes, “Baby-girl, I will never tell you that it is ok to fight. I pray to God, that you and Behn both go down a peaceful road where you have a secure life. But, if you are ever in a situation where Behn or I can’t get to you, I want you to fight. Fight as hard as you can till you are safe back in my arms.” ___

____

“I’m gonna fight mama.” I whispered. The door to Taehyung’s room slammed open, knocking into the wall. I breathed calmly, watching the boots walk around the bed. They stopped at the closet, pulling things out and tossing them. Gradually, they moved again. I situated into a stance, ready to run when he got closer. As he moved to one end…as he leaned down, I swiped the blade across his face before backing out under the bed and running out the door and back down the stairs. I heard him roar in pain. I turned off the lights; blinding him before entering Namjoon’s room and closing the door again. Just as I squeezed myself behind his bookcase, I heard the man running down the stairs. Things were flying outside the room, plates were smashed. I held my breath, knife tightly pressed to my chest. He barged into Namjoon’s room, no words had been spoken yet. His feet stamped around throwing things here and there. One by one, books were being chucked. The moment we made eye contact, I pushed the bookcase as hard as I could. It toppled over, crushing the man beneath it. I took this chance to jump over it and out the door.  


‘There’s no phone.’ I bit my lip.  


BANG!  


I spun around, cowering behind the dining table as he came out.  


My eyes widened, “…you…” His face was cut up and clothes were a mess…but it was him. “You’re that man from the whore house. Why are you here?” He didn’t say a thing. He stood there, stoic. Abruptly, he charged me, running around the dining table. I swung the blade, but he knocked it out of my hand before grabbing my neck and slamming my head into the dining table. I was seeing black spots, but my adrenaline was kicking in. I kicked him in the balls as hard as I could. He was stunned long enough for me to grab his collar, pushing him back before bringing his head forward. I bashed his nose with the top of my head.  


“Aaah!” He stumbled back, putting a hole in the wall. I coughed, staggering away from him. My eyes scanned the area for the knife. “Aaaaggh!” He charged me once more. I took a glance to my right, grabbed the vase, and slammed it into his head as he came into the living room. It wasn’t enough, though. He grabbed me by my hair, dragging me on the ground towards the front door. Screaming would do nothing in this situation. No one would save me. I grabbed his arm holding my hair and pulled myself up. I twisted my body so I was facing the ground and kicked him in the back of his knee. He tripped, falling to the ground.  


“For an old man, you have a lot in you.” I breathed, backing away. “What do you want from me? Who are you?” He just turned to me, standing in the shadow. “The boys have never messed with you so why come here? Are you with Hajoon?” Nothing…not a single word. I didn’t know if he was mute, but I had no time to think about it; he charged me for the third time, pushing me to the ground. Hands were once again wrapped around my neck.  


“I work alone.” He whispered over my gasps for air. His face lowered, I took the chance to shove my nails deep into his eyes. He screamed, grabbing my left hand to pin it. He didn’t grab my right hand in time, for I chopped him in the throat, pushing him off of me. I ran once again, back up the stairs.  


‘Yoongi would be the one to have a gun.’ I racked my brain, opening doors left and right before stumbling into his room. I threw dresser drawers open searching as fast as I could. I could hear in the distance the boots coming up the stairs.  


Creek  


…Creeekk…  


‘He’s mocking me.’ I angrily assumed, throwing some heart boxers to the side. ‘Got you.’ There was a gun lying on the bottom of the drawer; It was loaded.  


Crick  


I spun around, gun pointed, “Don’t make a move! I will shoot you!” He didn’t seem fazed at all. Honestly, I wouldn’t be either. A girl whose never killed in her life, shaking holding a gun…there’s nothing intimidating about it. He rushed to move around the bed. I pulled the trigger, a loud crack resonated in the room; I missed. I jumped on the bed and vaulted over running out and back down the stairs. On the third to last step, I slipped, tumbling down, before getting up, making my way back into the living room. I spun around once more, gun aimed.  


“I won’t miss again! Back up!” I shouted at the man standing in the kitchen. He had flicked the kitchen light on somewhere between me being upstairs and now. With the light, I could clearly see that I had broke his nose. His old wrinkled face was like a stone. There was no emotion displayed anywhere. It was as if I was looking into the eyes of a dead man. “Tell me who you are! What do you want from me?”  


“You’re exotic.” Was his response. The shiver escaped down my spine; I wanted to vomit. This man wanted to…I was going to become…  


One last charge happened that night.  


BANG!  


BANG!  


I closed my eyes at each shot. I brought a hand to my mouth at the sight of the man, now inches away from me, as blood started to trickle from his mouth. I peered down to see two fresh bullet wounds in his chest; bullet wounds that I made. I watched the life escape the man’s eyes before he slumped to the ground. I was going to vomit. I started hyperventilating. I dropped the gun, lowering myself to the ground.  


“I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe!” I gasped out. Coughing. Crying. “I c-can’t b-breathe!” I shrieked. What did I just do? I just killed a man. This man tried to kill me. I was just chased around the house. I was going to be sold.  


“Help me!” I screamed, yanking on my hair. “Help!” I sobbed, begging for someone to tell me this didn’t just happen. Please, tell me this didn’t happen. I curled up, rocking myself back and forth. I couldn’t look up and see that man. The adrenaline never left my veins. I sat there for _hours _in my own world.__

____

 

__

  


__

“Lucy?”

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried sooooooo hard lol Forgive me if the writing is too short or too chopping or whatever. It was kinda difficult to write about someone trying to murder you. I'll work hard to make scenes like these better for the future!


	15. Bulletproof

“Lucy?”  


_"Lucy?" _  
__

__I was still hunched over, curled into a tight ball. My mind and body were numb when I heard the two voices call out to me. They were blurry voices; one overlapping the other as they called out to me with concern laced in each syllable. I hesitated to look up, but willed my heavy head to look at the blurry face standing in the doorway.  
_ _

____

“Momma?” I whispered.  


“Lucy! Oh my God.”  


_“Lucy! Oh my God.” _They breathed out before dropping whatever was in their hand on the ground. In my blurred vision, I could see figures standing behind the silhouette of my mother.  
__

__“Mom…” I hiccupped.  
_ _

__“Lucy, it’s me. I’m here.”  
_ _

_“Lucy, it’s me. I’m here.” _Momma ran over, engulfing me in her protective arms.  
__

___“Everything’s going to be ok.”  
_ _ _

_“Everything’s going to be ok.” _  
__

___“What happened?”  
_ _ _

_“What happened?” _The voices fought for dominance as my mom rubbed my back. I curled my hands tightly into her black jacket. She was firmer than I remembered, but her touch was so pure and gentle.  
__

___“Mommy…I-I killed…”  
_ _ _

___“Hyung, why does she keep saying mom?” I heard the faint whisper of a deep voice behind her.  
_ _ _

___“Lucy?”  
_ _ _

_“Lucy?” _  
__

___I choked on a few tears, “Y-yes?”  
_ _ _

___“Lucy…I’m not your mom.”  
_ _ _

_“Lucy…I’m not your mom.” _  
__

___‘What?’ I froze, tears in motion as I slowly looked up. My eyes were still blurry, and the voices continued to overlap, but when I looked at the face holding me…it wasn’t my mom.  
_ _ _

___“Jimin?” I breathed, his face becoming clear. His brows were furrowed in worry.  
_ _ _

___“It’s me, Lucy. I’m here now.”  
_ _ _

_“It’s me, Lucy…” _My mother’s voice slowly dissipated, bringing me back to my reality.  
__

___I tightened my hold around his jacket, “I-I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I thought…I thought you w-were—”  
_ _ _

___“Your mom?” He finished for me. I only nodded. “It’s ok…I understand.”  
_ _ _

___I hiccupped, “Jimin, I don’t what to do. I-I killed a man.” I was starting to hyperventilate again.  
_ _ _

___“We can see that.” That was Yoongi. I looked over, regrettably, to see him checking the pulse of the dead man.  
_ _ _

___“I’m going to puke.” I gagged, my body revolting in Jimin’s hold.  
_ _ _

___“No nononono! Not on my floors!” Jin rushed into the kitchen, grabbing the nearest basket. Jimin tried to calm my body, but no touch was easing me. As soon as Jin was in reach, I ripped the basket from his hand and—  
_ _ _

___“Bleh!” I vomited nothing. It was clear water, but the tears still stung my eyes as my throat dried instantly from the uncomfortable circumstance. Every heave had my body racking with pain. I barely noticed the hand rubbing my back.  
_ _ _

___“Let it out. You’ll feel better afterwards.” Jimin held my hair back.  
_ _ _

___“She’s doing better than you, Jin.” Yoongi tried lighting the mood. “You passed out the first time you killed.”  
_ _ _

___“Shut up.” Jin punched his arm.  
_ _ _

___“I-I’m sorry.” I sniffled. “Bluh, hah…huh…bleh!”  
_ _ _

___Jimin shushed me, “Just breathe. Don’t speak.” Eventually, I was left heaving. Everyone was silent as I feel apart. My body had nothing left to give as I tried sitting up.  
_ _ _

___“How are you feeling?” Namjoon asked, crouching down to my level. I just stared at him with apathetic eyes.  
_ _ _

___“What do you think? I took someone’s life away. I’m a murder!” I didn’t mean for my voice to raise, but I was brought back to what happened mere hours ago.  
_ _ _

___“Here.” I looked up to see Jungkook handing me a glass of water. “Drink this.” I took it without hesitation, gulping every drop.  
_ _ _

___“How long were you guys gone?” I asked, looking to see it was pitch black outside.  
_ _ _

___Jimin pulled me back, my back hitting his chest in a comfortable position, “We were gone longer than we expected. Hajoon was there, but he escaped.”  
_ _ _

___“Oh…” I glanced at Namjoon. He was stiff; a harden expression graced his face.  
_ _ _

___Namjoon looked at me, “As the leader, I want to apologize for leaving you be for so long.”  
_ _ _

___“I understand.” I said, still feeling numb.  
_ _ _

___“Lucy,” Jimin held me tight. “You need to talk to us about what happened.” I could feel panic coming back.  
_ _ _

___“I-I physically can’t.” I breathed, getting shaky. “I keep thinking about…” I couldn’t finish. Jungkook crouched next to Jimin and I, but said nothing.  
_ _ _

___“Did he do anything to you?” Yoongi suggested, carefully.  
_ _ _

___I wheezed a hard laugh out, “Did he do anything? Like what? Rape me? No. Murder me? No. Try to kidnap me to sell me off? Tried to choke me out? Did he break into the house, scaring me, make me think I was never going to see you again, never see my family again?” I was getting loud with every word. “You tell me! Did he do something?”  
_ _ _

___“Lucy, we’re not the enemy.” Jhope spoke up.  
_ _ _

___I glared at him, “Not the enemy? I wouldn’t be in this position if it weren’t for you guys! I could be teaching English or at home with my family, if you guys hadn’t kidnapped me!” It was a low blow, but it was the truth.  
_ _ _

___“Are you also not to blame.” Namjoon narrowed his eyes. “Spying on us? Getting involved in people’s lives and business with no permission!” I have never heard Namjoon raise his voice the way he did. “Do you think we planned on having guest over tonight? Stop acting like a baby! I’m sorry for what happened tonight; truly I am. But things happen in life that can’t be controlled.” That shut me up real quick.  
_ _ _

___“I’m sorry…” I murmured.  
_ _ _

___Namjoon sighed, “No…I am. When we pulled up, all of us got an uneasy feeling. We noticed the living room window was broken.” I glanced up, noticing this for the first time. Sometime during the fight that must have happen. “Believe me when I say, I didn’t actually think someone would break in.”  
_ _ _

___“None of us did. I’m glad we trained you last night, though.” Jhope smiled. “I’m really proud of you. You put up a fight and won. That’s all we could have asked.”  
_ _ _

___Tears streamed down my face, “I was so scared.”  
_ _ _

___Jimin held me close, “You don’t have to be anymore. That man can’t hurt you now, and I won’t leave you again.”  
_ _ _

___“He-e said that he-e wasn’t apart of Hajoon’s forces.” I managed to get out.  
_ _ _

___“…Now that you mentioned it.” Yoongi murmured going over to the dead body again. “This is the owner of the whore house.”  
_ _ _

___Taehyung furrowed his eyebrows, “Why would he of all people come here?”  
_ _ _

___“He-e didn’t say much.” I whimpered. “But he said I was exotic.”  
_ _ _

___Taehyung tsked, “Pervy old man. He was planning on selling her.”  
_ _ _

___“Does it not seem suspicious to come all this way to kidnap her? We’ve never had beef with one another. Both parties have kept a distance from each other; no interference. He had to know that she was our possession. Why would he try to steal her?” Jin conducted.  
_ _ _

___Jimin nodded, “That’s a good question. Lucy said that he claimed to work alone. Do you think he went senile?”  
_ _ _

___“I think Hajoon has a hand in this.” Namjoon concluded. “We’ll have to there to figure it out.”  
_ _ _

___“You’re going there?” I gasped.  
_ _ _

____Taehyung snickered, “It’s not like we’re going to partake in anything. We just need to scout the area.”__  
Jin nodded in agreement, “This old man here is the owner. No one else runs the brothel besides him. Even if we didn’t go, all those women would die from thirst, hunger, you name it.”  


___“You’re going to rescue them?” I questioned. No one responded. “You’re going to release them, right?”  
_ _ _

___“We’ll see.” Namjoon stood up.  
_ _ _

___“What do you mean?”  
_ _ _

___Jungkook stood up as well, “Sometimes people are too lost to save.”  
_ _ _

___“Are you suggesting too murder all those girls?”  
_ _ _

___Jin stepped in when I started to panic, “If we can locate their homes and get them out without our identities being question, then by all means we will. But Lucy, we’re talking about at least a hundred women. Most of them have no backgrounds or family; hence why they got kidnapped. Have you ever heard about a prostitute getting kidnapped?” I shook my head at his question. “Exactly, they are easy targets because, they have no real identity to the public. We can’t risk any of them outing us, or us getting caught in general.”  
_ _ _

___“I understand, but still…they didn’t do anything wrong. They deserve to live.”  
_ _ _

___Jhope nodded, “We agree. There are a lot of bad people who do a lot of bad things. And if we could, we would save every single one of them, but we have a lot at stake here, too. Don’t forget, we’ve done a lot of bad things, too.” It was all clear. If the boys were caught, Hajoon could find them, or even the police—the ones not bought—and they could be tried for a lot of crimes. They probably would be sent to death row. They had a mission that came first. Nothing else was a priority, not even me.  
_ _ _

___“Do what you have to do.” I mumbled before puking into the bucket again. Jimin held my hair once more, rubbing my back with great comfort.  
_ _ _

___After all the dry heaving and crying, the boys worked on disposing of the body. I don’t know how they did it; I didn’t care to watch. Jin offered me dinner, but I immediately refused. I couldn’t stomach anything right now. Taehyung worked on getting the blood stains off of the wood and walls, glancing at me with empathy every few minutes. I sat up against the wall just watching. I could hear Yoongi groaning from upstairs at the mess of his room. Namjoon said nothing as him and Jin worked on fixing the bookcase that fell over.  
_ _ _

___“The repair guy will be here tomorrow for the basement window. We can get him to fix the living room window, too.” Jhope suggested, coming in with Jungkook and Jimin.  
_ _ _

___“Get him to fix the dent, too.” Taehyung grunted. Watching all of them working to fix the room made me feel guilty, but there was nothing I could do about it._ _ _

_____ _

_“Lucy!” I lowered my head, guilt crawling up my body as I hid in the closet. “There you are.” My mom’s booming voice was soft when she opened the closet. “Any reason why you are hiding in the closet?” She crossed her arms.  
_

_“It’s really comfy.” I answered.  
_

_She chuckled a little, “It is filled with blankets. Come on out of there.” She crouched down, holding my arms when I got out. “Lucy, why is there a dent on your wall?”  
_

_“Because I did a bad thing.” I whimpered, shame consuming me.  
_

_Mom hummed, “Were you swinging your brother’s bat around when I told you no?”  
_

_I nodded, “I’m really sorry. I thought it would be ok.”  
_

_“Was it?”  
_

_“No?” I shook my head, tears threatening to slip. Mom pulled me to sit on her lap. She hugged me, rubbing my back in comfort.  
_

_“Don’t cry. It’s ok.”  
_

_“But I disobeyed you. I damaged the wall.”  
_

_“Are you going to do it again?”  
_

_“No, mommy.”  
_

_“Then I think you feeling bad is punishment enough.”  
_

_I looked up at her, “Really?”  
_

_“Sweetie, I love you. Nothing you do could ever make me not love you. And just because you did a bad thing does not make you a bad person.”  
_

_“I love you mommy.”  
_

_“I love you, Lucy.” ___

____

“Lucy?” Taehyung snapped his fingers in front of my face.  


“Yes?”  


“Why are you crying?” I touched my face at his question. 

 

“Is she ok now?” Yoongi asked. Jimin held Lucy in his arms, keeping her pressed slightly into the back of the couch, and keeping her slightly on top of him. Jimin laid comfortably on his back on the plush couch, blanket covering them both.  


Jimin rubbed his eyes, “Yeah. She fell asleep about twenty minutes ago.”  


“You could move her to your room.”  


Jimin shook his head, “I don’t want to risk waking her up again. She keeps crying when she’s awake.”  


“I don’t blame her.” Yoongi sighed. “I’m not going to even try to imagine what she’s been through today.”  


Jimin groaned, “Same.”  


“She seems calm now.” Yoongi nodded, sitting on the other couch, hands playing with each other.  


“I don’t know for how long though. She keeps waking up in tears.” Jimin bit his lip.  


“She’s probably having a nightmare.”  


Jimin hummed in response, “I know. I don’t know how to stop them.”  


“You won’t be able to.” Yoongi shook his head at the naivety of the younger. “She’s traumatized right now.”  


“I just wish I could do something.” Jimin sighed. “She threw up three times today. She’s cried more times than I have ever seen a person manage. She’s probably well dehydrated now.”  


Yoongi chuckled, “Probably. She’ll be ok though. It’ll take some time, but she’ll heal from this. She’s strong.” Jimin smiled at the older.  


“She grew on you too, huh?”  


“Don’t be ridiculous.” Yoongi averted his eyes.  


Jimin’s smile stayed in place, “Taehyung is really fond of her.”  


“I know.” Yoongi snorted. “He couldn’t stop talking about her on the way back here.”  


Jimin suppressed his laugh, afraid of waking the sleeping girl, “He was worried…for good reason apparently.”  


“I still can’t believe we were wrong.” Yoongi sighed, leaning back against the couch.  


Jimin nodded, “We almost lost her.”  


_“You _didn’t, though.” Yoongi emphasized looking at the younger with a knowing glance.  
__

__Jimin held his gaze, “I don’t know what I would have done if he took her away from me.”  
_ _

__“Your possessiveness is showing.”  
_ _

__“It’s not possessiveness.” Jimin muttered.  
_ _

__Yoongi clicked his tongue, “You’ve definitely grown the most attached to her.”  
_ _

__“I won’t deny that.”  
_ _

__Yoongi watched Jimin as he played with Lucy’s hair, a genuine smile on his face. A smile so full of life…something Yoongi hasn’t seen for a long time.  
_ _

__“I’m going back to bed.” Yoongi stood up, the younger’s eyes followed his movement. “You really should consider going back to your room.”  
_ _

__Jimin shook his head, “Too risky.”  
_ _

__“You’re sleeping in a room with a broken in window.” Yoongi snorted. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Your neck is going to be stiff and you’re going to be cold.”  
_ _

__Jimin chuckled, “I’m perfectly fine.” Yoongi knew he was, too. With one more nod, Yoongi walked into the kitchen quietly to go back up the stairs to his room. He halted when he heard Lucy whimpering. He turned to look at the sight:  
_ _

__“Shh, it’s ok.” Jimin cooed.  
_ _

__“Jimin?” Lucy hiccupped, tears threatening to fall again.  
_ _

__Jimin kissed the top of her head, “It’s just a dream. I’m here. Go back to sleep.”  
_ _

__Yoongi smiled at the sight, before turning away, not wanting to intrude on their moment anymore. He walked away with a knowing smile plastered on his face, as Jimin fell asleep with Lucy in his secure arms._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys for the wait in uploading. I've been studying for exams. I've got multiple this week >:P


	16. Save Me

“So, why am I going?” I asked, eyes taking in the view of the house as we drove away from it.  


Jimin ruffled his hair, “You’re going to get all the girls out of the building, and get any info on them that you can.”  


“But why am I going? Why not just take all seven of you?” I looked around the empty van. There was Jin, Yoongi, me, and Jimin. Jin was driving, Yoongi was in the passenger seat—something I was beginning to figure was the norm—and Jimin and I sat in the back.  


Jin looked at me through the rearview mirror, “If we all go, we’ll look suspicious. We can’t take any chances on the girls seeing our faces or remembering the number of saviors.”  


“So, you have ski masks and me to guard your identities.” I concluded.  


“Bingo.” Yoongi commented, eyes glued to the window. I took in the appearance of his freshly dyed, faded-blue hair. Jin had dyed his black, Taehyung was now a silvery-purple, Jhope was red, Namjoon’s was a faded orange, and Jungkook’s was…another shade of brown. I had memorized the boys’ hair colors due to shock. They had just dyed them by the time I woke up this morning. Of course, I was leaving out Jimin’s hair. I glanced to my right to peer at the bleach blonde hair. I would be lying if I said the colors didn’t look good on them…but Jimin…  


Jimin noticed my gaze, “Like what you see?”  


I blushed, “Y-you look nice as a blonde.” What I meant to say was: _why do you look freaking hot? _“What made you guys dye your hair?”  
__

__“We met face-to-face with Hajoon. In order to distract and confuse him, we must continue to dye our hair each time we cross him. That way, they’ll never fully grasp who we are. His henchmen mean nothing, but he himself, that’s a different story.” Yoongi explained.  
_ _

____

__“Well you all look very nice.” I smiled.  
_ _

__Jin chuckled, “Thank you. We are quite handsome.” I took a glance at Jimin. In my eyes…he was the most handsome.  
_ _

__“So, you guys are really releasing them?” I questioned.  
_ _

__Jimin nodded, “As long as they don’t see our faces, they’ll be good to go.”  
_ _

__“How are you going to get them home?” I furrowed my eyebrows. “Jin, didn’t you say that they have no identities?”  
_ _

__Jin nodded, “That’s where you come in. Like I said before, just go in and talk them into telling you whatever they know about themselves.”  
_ _

__“Will I be going by myself?”  
_ _

__“Yoongi will go with you. Jimin and I will scout the area to see if we can find any connections between Hajoon and the brothel.”  
_ _

__“What if they don’t know anything about themselves?”  
_ _

__...  
_ _

__…..  
_ _

__I furrowed my eyebrows, “Jin?”  
_ _

__“That’s why I’m coming with you.” Yoongi spoke up.  
_ _

__“Please no.” I whimpered. I have seen enough death for a lifetime.  
_ _

__Yoongi turned to look at me, “I’m not asking you to watch, nor forgive me for what I may have to do, but try to understand. A lot of those women are practically dead already. No lives outside of that place, no future to look forward to, hearts already shattered, and spirits broken.”  
_ _

__“I promise you, majority of those women are coming out alive.” Jimin squeezed my hand. “Maybe, with you there, they will all live.” If that wasn’t a goal, I didn’t know what was.  
_ _

__“I do not condone murdering them…but I will not look at you any differently, Yoongi.” I nodded towards him. He gave no response.  
_ _

__“We’re here.” Jin stopped the car. “Let’s go.” We hopped out, the boys putting their ski masks on. The building seemed like an average cabin, walking towards it. Walking in it was a different story. The place was bare. No furniture at all. It was a one-level cabin with one bedroom and bathroom.  
_ _

__“This is a brothel?” I whispered.  
_ _

__“No,” Jimin grunted, pulling up the carpet. “That is the brothel.” I leaned over to see a hidden door.  
_ _

__I gasped, “How did you know?”  
_ _

__“Criminal actions are never showcased. You have to think strategically, Lucy.” Jin tsked, lifting the door. “Ladies first.” I huffed, but made my way down the rickety stairs. It was a spacious room with a stage and podium. There were cells after cells lining the sides of the rooms.  
_ _

__My breath was getting shaky, “I’m guessing they’re in there.”  
_ _

__Yoongi snorted, “Good guess.” We made our way to the first cell on the left. Yoongi pick locked the door. The iron lock screeched as he carefully peeled it open. I looked inside to my horror. There were at least fifteen naked women just sitting there. None of them were spared from the look of dehydration and starvation. None of them looked up at the sound. To think…this could have been my life, not even a day ago.  
_ _

__“Um, hello.” I called, trying to get their attention; nothing. “We’re here to save you. Can you tell me your names?” One finally looked up. She was slim, fair skin, with big eyes, sunken in from malnourishment.  
_ _

__“Ah, ahahahaha. Haahahaha!” She laughed in hysteria. I jumped back, fear crawling up my spine.  
_ _

__“Do you understand what I was talking about, now?” Yoongi whispered behind me.  
_ _

__“W-what’s wrong with her?”  
_ _

__“She’s lost her sanity.”  
_ _

__I gaped like a fish, “Can someone please tell me their name?” Another one joined in the laughter. They both fell over, laughing like madwomen.  
_ _

__“Lucy, step away.” Yoongi cocked his gun.  
_ _

__“W-wait! We can reason with them.” I pleaded.  
_ _

__Yoongi shook his head, “You can’t reason with someone who is already dead. And they are already dead on the inside.”  
_ _

__“W-wait—”  
_ _

__BANG!  
_ _

__One dropped, but none of them made a move. No one looked up. The two who were laughing were now sprawled on their backs laughing even harder.  
_ _

__Bang!  
_ _

__Bang! Bang!  
_ _

__I shut my eyes, hands over my ears. I breathed in slowly through my nose, trying to picture any other scene but this one. Bang after bang, drop after drop, they all fell.  
_ _

__“Y-yoongi, I can’t breathe.” I gasped, stumbling backwards after the last shot was given. Yoongi’s hands grabbed my arm, stabilizing me.  
_ _

__“Deep breathes. You’re doing great.” Yoongi encouraged me.  
_ _

__I looked up at him, “H-how? How do you get used to killing? I don’t get it.”  
_ _

__Yoongi shrugged, “When the whole world is out to get you, I guess you just harden your shell. But...it’s never easy to take someone’s life. You certainly don’t get used to it. It’s something that haunts you…but when you are given no choice, you do what you must. You experienced that first-handed, Lucy.” Yoongi walked off to the next cell already working on opening it. And it clicked for me; Yoongi’s words.  
_ _

__I was told by Jhope that Yoongi kills the most in the group. Now I understand why. He doesn’t kill because he enjoys it, or because, it comes easy for him. He kills the most because, he knows how hard it is to take a life. He doesn’t want the other members to be haunted like he is…Yoongi is suffering. He’s suffering for all of them, and now me, too.  
_ _

__“Thank you, Yoongi.” I whispered, knowing he wouldn’t hear me.  
_ _

__“Try this one.” I walked over at his words. Looking in the over stuffed room, there were thirty women.  
_ _

__I groaned, “My God. How do you fit this many people in one room?”  
_ _

__“You strip them of their dignity.”  
_ _

__“Hello. We’ve come to set you free. Can anyone tell me their name?” This time, ten girls rushed over proclaiming their life stories. They hadn’t been in the system for very long. They were all high schoolers, who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Each one had a family.  
_ _

__“Ok, I got all the info and wrote it down.” I tore the paper from the notebook I was given in the car.  
_ _

__Yoongi handed the paper over to one of the girls, “Listen to me carefully. You’re going to go up the stairs over there. There are two guys up there. Ask for Jimin. He will help get you back home. Do we understand each other?” The girls nodded, running towards the stairs in an instant.  
_ _

__“What about the rest?”  
_ _

__“You can try one more time.”  
_ _

__I nodded, “Did you see that? They are getting to go home. Please, come forward and we can help you.” I hissed immediately when I noticed one woman trying to the bite the arm of another. Everyone was ignoring us.  
_ _

__“Step aside, Lucy.” I sighed, backing away, eyes shut once more.  
_ _

__BANG! BANG!  
_ _

__A metallic scent filtered into the room. I didn’t notice at first, but the scent was getting stronger. I took deep breaths, trying to keep my dry-heaving to a minimum.  
_ _

__“Yoongi, I-I’m going to puke.” I hunched over, trying to steady myself.  
_ _

__“Just breathe.” Yoongi rubbed my back. They weren’t like Jimin’s, I noticed. They were a little quicker, a little rougher, but still comforting.  
_ _

__“I’m not going to be able to keep it in much longer.” I gasped on air, begging oxygen to fill my lungs, but pleading for the air to change. With the scent of blood masking the air, it felt like my lungs were being filled with blood with each breath. Like warm liquid slowly moved down and back up, suffocating me.  
_ _

__“You’re ok. There’s only four more cells. You can push through.”  
_ _

__I inhaled quickly, “O-Ok. Just keep going.” I waved him to the next one. “I’m right behind you.” I took a few deep breathes, thinking about gingerbread cookies before pulling myself together.  
_ _

__‘Cinnamon and spice.’ I chanted, trying to think of a different scent other than the one assaulting my nostrils. It wasn’t even the scent that was bothersome, it was where the scent came from that had me going in a frenzy.  
_ _

__“Hello?” The third cell had thirty people as well. Twenty of them stepped forward to be saved. The fourth cell had about forty-two. Only fifteen stepped forward. One lunged at us, forcing Yoongi to shoot. This caused an uproar. Half of them tried to attack us but all fell.  
_ _

__“Yoongi, I c-can’t anymore.” I heaved, backing up from the dead body. “Bleh! Uh, uuh—ah! Bluh!” Everything I had for breakfast was now on the floor. My throat was burning.  
_ _

__“It’s ok, just let it out.” He said as he opened the lock for the fifth cell. I heaved, feeling disgusting as tears pricked my eyes from the tight sensation in my throat.  
_ _

__“I-I think I’m ok.” I moaned, walking over to the cell. “H-hello? You’re free now.” The fifth cell held roughly fifteen girls. My heart shattered to the floor and my stomach forced more fluid up and out. “Bleh!” The sight horrified me. All of the girls were no older than fourteen. The thought of someone doing this to children almost made me faint.  
_ _

__“Yoongi, you won’t touch a single hair on their head.” I warned, spit dripping from my mouth as I heaved.  
_ _

__“Never planned on it.” He said, crouching to the level of one of the children. Yoongi and I walked all the little girls up to Jin and Jimin where they were safe and could finally go back to their homes.  
_ _

__“One more, Lucy.”  
_ _

__I grunted, “Let’s get this over with.” I didn’t want to see anything more. I was ready to go back home, sleep, have a nightmare and repeat for the next fifty years. I had a whole new respect for anybody whose job it was to rescue people in these situations.  
_ _

__“Hello?” I called to the sixth cell. In it held, ten girls. Some of the oldest I had seen so far, and a couple roughly my age.  
_ _

__“Someone finally came, aye?” One groaned. “A little too late.”  
_ _

__“You’re safe now. We’re here to take you home.” I tried to ease any of them.  
_ _

__One started laughing, “What home? My husband sold me three years ago for a quick paycheck.”  
_ _

__“I-I’m sorry—”  
_ _

__“She’s sorry?” One turned to the other before laughing in hysteria.  
_ _

__“You’re wasting your breath.” One girl spoke up from the corner. “You might as well kill us all. We have nothing left.”  
_ _

__I furrowed my eyebrows, “But you look no older than me. Surely you have a family.”  
_ _

__“I do, but I can’t go back.” I scanned her over. She was hunched over, knees pulled to her naked chest. She was way too skinny, giving away the fact that she was malnourished. Her black hair looked matted, clinging to her head. It reached her shoulders. Her eyes were a beautiful hazel color, but they were dead inside. A glance into them told you that this girl had been through a lot.  
_ _

__“Yes, you can. I’m sure your parents are looking for you right now.”  
_ _

__She shook her head, “I don’t want to face them.”  
_ _

__“Your parents love you. This wouldn’t change that.” She got up, the other ladies still laughing, only to drop to her knees in front of Yoongi.  
_ _

__“Just kill me.”  
_ _

__“No!” I protested. She grabbed his hand, pointing the gun directly at her head.  
_ _

__“I don’t want to live anymore. Just kill me.”  
_ _

__I tensed up, “Yoongi, don’t do it.”  
_ _

__“She’s begging me, though. It’s obvious her fight to live is gone.”  
_ _

__“So, give her a new one!” I yanked the girl to her feet. “Listen to me, I can’t imagine how traumatizing it must have been, how alone you must have felt, but ending it isn’t the answer. You’re missing out on a whole world out their full of good people and opportunities. You need to fight and live. Think about your family.” The girl began to weep, slumping to the floor. I shrugged off my light jacket, wrapping it around her. “I don’t know about the others, but we’re saving her.”  
_ _

__“Are you sure?”  
_ _

__“Yes.” Yoongi scanned the room. One lady was bashing her head into the wall, as some laughed, and others just sat there.  
_ _

__Bang! BANG!  
_ _

__I pulled the girl with me up the stairs. Jimin and Jin were waiting with all the other girls in the main room.  
_ _

__“Is that the last one?” Jimin asked, helping us both up.  
_ _

__“Yes. How are you going to get all of these girls out of here?”  
_ _

__Jin walked over, “We have a prepaid phone that we have used to contact the police, and their families. We’ve reported to them that there are missing girls here. We’ll be leaving them here for the police to find.”  
_ _

__“Is it really ok to leave them alone?”  
_ _

__Yoongi walked over, “These are the sane ones, and children. They want to go home. Plus, there’s no one here to harm them anymore.”  
_ _

__“You make a good point. Then I guess…we’re done.” I surprised myself with how relieved I felt. “Wait, what about her?” I nodded towards the girl from the sixth cell.  
_ _

__“What about her?” Yoongi questioned.  
_ _

__“Should we really be letting her be by herself?  
_ _

__Jimin tsked, “Are you suggesting we kidnap her?”  
_ _

__“N-no, but she seems like she needs help the most.” I turned towards her. “What’s your name?”  
_ _

__She hugged my jacket closer to her body, “Nara.”  
_ _

__“That’s a pretty name.” I smiled. “You can keep the jacket if you want.”  
_ _

__She nodded, “Thank you.” She was quiet. The kind that made you uneasy.  
_ _

__I tried again, “You’re going to see your parents soon.”  
_ _

__She nodded again, “I know.”  
_ _

__“We have to go, now. No connections.” Jin warned me, urging me to move.  
_ _

__“I hope we’ll be able to see each other again.” I smiled reassuringly before being dragged out._ _

____

  


I stared out the car, window down as we drove away from the whore house, making a circle around the forest so as not to be seen.  


“You have to admit, you feel pretty good after seeing them all free.” Jimin smiled, taking off his mask.  


I couldn’t help but to smile back, “You’re right. I feel lighter on my feet. I still feel a little wheezy from all that death and blood…but I’m happy we could save even a few of them.”  


Jimin leaned in close to my ear, “Yoongi has been close to their level before; a point where he may have not been able to return. He was lucky and was able to turn his life around. To you, it may not seem like much of an improvement, but that’s why we say Namjoon saved us. Yoongi was given a reason to live. You see, he killed them because, he wanted to end their suffering. He was trying to save them.”  


I hummed at his words, believing every one of them. I didn’t know Yoongi’s past completely. I didn’t know all his suffering, and I’m smart enough to realize I probably never will and that’s ok. Sometimes keeping quiet is better, and if that’s what Yoongi wants, who am I to say no. All I know is that, Yoongi has suffered for a long time, for many people.

  


Jimin helped me out of the car, before grabbing some things from the back. I watched as Yoongi grabbed things from the front.  


He noticed my attention on him, “Something on your mind.”  


I smiled, “I’m glad I met you.” I turned back to help Jimin, not noticing Yoongi softly smiling behind me.


	17. Love Yourself

_I was running for my life. Deep in the forest. The old man followed behind me with a bloody machete in his hands. I tripped into a puddle. The last thing I saw was the shadow of the machete raising above my head before stabbing me in the back. Pain and sparks dispersed across muscles, causing a spasm. _  
__

__“Lucy.” Jimin murmured against my temple, before lightly kissing it. I huffed awake, my body trembling. “It’s ok. I’m here.” Jimin tightened his grip around my waist, keeping me firm against his chest. We were laying in his bed. I’ve been having trouble sleeping for the last couple of days. The events of yesterday at the whore house were fresh in my mind.  
_ _

__“I’m sorry.” I looked up at him. How could one man be so flawless? At first, I never realized how attractive any of them were, but the longer I stayed here the more details I discovered. For example: Namjoon had dimples, but so did Jhope, there was a tiny scar on Jungkook’s face, and so many more. “I had another nightmare.”  
_ _

__Jimin hummed, “I know. Eventually, they go away.”  
_ _

__“Have you ever had a nightmare?” Kind of a dumb question, I’ll admit.  
_ _

__Jimin grinned, “Not since you’ve been here.” My heart stammered. I didn’t know what it was, but lately I’ve been drawn to Jimin. It’s almost laughable to admit, but I was extremely attracted to him. The gentle way he kissed me or held me tight to keep me safe, every detail about his chubby face or that beautiful smile had me captivated. I’m pathetic, honestly. To be falling for my kidnapper is honestly ridiculous. Jimin wasn’t like any kidnapper I’ve ever seen, though—not that I personally knew any. He was so gentle and reassuring. To be honest, all of them are. Even though we all met in an unfortunate circumstance, I’ve become attached to them.  
_ _

__“D-don’t play with me.” I stuttered, training my eyes on my hands on his bare chest.  
_ _

__Jimin pulled me tighter, “I’m not though.” We laid there in each other’s embrace. “I’ve truly been at peace since you’ve been here.”  
_ _

__“W-were you suffering before?”  
_ _

__“I was numb.” I looked at him, but even now, I still couldn’t read his expression. He was so mysterious.  
_ _

__“What in your life made you that way?” It wasn’t supposed to come out, but it did.  
_ _

__Jimin smiled, “I think I smell breakfast. Let’s go.” He immediately pulled away, taking away my warmth. I held back my protest. Every time I thought I was getting closer to Jimin, learning more about him…he pulled away.  
_ _

__I was greeted to the sight of a stressed Jin sitting at the dining table with an even more stressed Namjoon.  
_ _

__“Have a good day, Mr. Kwon.” Jhope bid goodbye at the doorstep. I noticed the living room window was fixed and the dent in the wall was gone. Taehyung and Jungkook sat on the floor looking bored out of their minds.  
_ _

__“What’s going on?” I asked as Yoongi brushed past me with a cup of coffee.  
_ _

__He took a sip, “Mr. Kwon, our repairman, fixed up the wall and windows while you guys slept in.” I glanced at the oven clock to find that it was almost noon.  
_ _

__“Oh. Well I’m glad he was able to fix everything.”  
_ _

__“Dammit!” Jin growled, pulling at his hair in frustration. “All these files are useless!”  
_ _

__Namjoon sighed, a sour expression pleasantly resting on his face, “Agreed.”  
_ _

__“I’m guessing the house repairs weren’t the only problems.” I spoke light-heartedly. No one laughed. “What files?” I tried again.  
_ _

__Jin sighed, “While Jimin was keeping the girls company and contacting authority, I was scavenging the house for any info that could identify that man.”  
_ _

__“And you found something?”  
_ _

__Jin sighed once more, “Well, kind of. There’s a huge record of all the girls who were slaves there. Starting from the first, all the way to the last. The old man who ran the place was, Kim Dae-Jung.”  
_ _

__“The man who I…killed.” I established weakly.  
_ _

__“Yes.” Namjoon interjected. “There’s not a lot of info on him. Apparently, he’s been in this business for a couple decades. He was well known in the underground world for his business, however, he’s always worked alone.”  
_ _

__“So, he has no affiliation with Hajoon then.”  
_ _

__Jin bit his lip, “Not quite.”  
_ _

__Taehyung sat up from his spot on the floor, “He was in contact with Hajoon?”  
_ _

__“Yes.” Namjoon nodded. “Apparently, they’ve had a deal going on for a couple years. Hajoon has been buying women from him, and having them exported from the cabin to his homes. As far as records go, he’s never step foot into the cabin itself.”  
_ _

__Jin continued for him, “Dae-Jung has written multiple entries about his annoyance with Hajoon and the way he conducts business. They weren’t on friendly terms. Dae-Jung wanted out of whatever contract he had with Hajoon. His last entry was talking about how he had found a foreigner that he planned on selling off. In his eyes, this would be the ultimate gift, thus completing the contract.”  
_ _

__“That must have been written right after he saw Lucy.” Taehyung pointed out.  
_ _

__Jhope jumped in, “That means Hajoon had no idea who the foreigner was or who held her captive. Even though Hajoon has his eye out for Lucy, Dae-Jung’s actions are all on his own.”  
_ _

__“Yes.” Jin agreed. “We are safe to assume that we are still safe. Hajoon won’t come looking for Dae-Jung, either. With the way these letters are coming off, Hajoon really didn’t care for Dae-Jung much either.”  
_ _

__“Well, it’s a shame you couldn’t find a deeper connection to Hajoon, but I won’t lie, I’m very pleased to hear that I’m safe.” I breathed in relief.  
_ _

__Jimin ruffled my hair, “We are, too.”  
_ _

__Namjoon tapped his foot impatiently, “There’s one more thing.”  
_ _

__“Namjoon, no—”  
_ _

__“Be quiet, Jin. This is important.” Namjoon continued on, a steel-cold look in his eyes. “We discovered one more connection that Hajoon had.” The room was silent, the air was thickening. You could cut it with a butter knife with how intense it was.  
_ _

__Yoongi spoke up for us, “Well go on.”  
_ _

__“It was about five years ago. Dae-Jung was in contact with a business man…a very high ranked business man who dealt in the stock market. A guy by the name of Jeon Jonghyun.” I could feel the heat radiating off of Jungkook. His eyes were spitting fire, and his knuckles turned white from how tight his fists were.  
_ _

__“Who’s that?” I asked softly. Jungkook got up quietly before walking out the front door.  
_ _

__SLAM  
_ _

__The door shook with the force he slammed it with.  
_ _

__Jin groaned, “Honestly, you know it’s a touchy subject for him. Why bring it up.”  
_ _

__“He needs to learn to face it.” Namjoon whispered before getting up and going to his room quietly.  
_ _

__I tugged on Jimin’s sleeve, “Why is Jungkook upset?”  
_ _

__Jimin smiled at me sadly, “It’s a long story. You’re better off just forgetting about.”  
_ _

__“It’s not like he’d tell you anyway.” Taehyung snorted, but he looked concerned. I didn’t see Jungkook for the next couple of hours. It was evening time when Jin started dinner. The rest of the boys were either play wrestling, budgeting, or researching.  
_ _

__“Jungkook still hasn’t come back.” I crossed my arms, talking to Jin as he cut the carrots.  
_ _

__Jin shook his head, “He’s been here the whole time. He’s just outside.”  
_ _

__“Shouldn’t someone go grab him?”  
_ _

__Jin chuckled, “Go ahead and try. We’ve learned that Jungkook is very aggressive when he’s angry so it’s best to give him space and let him come back on his own.”  
_ _

__“Has he hurt you guys?”  
_ _

__“With his words? Yes.” Jin pouted. “If you are really worried, go and talk to him. He’s probably on the roof.”  
_ _

__“Ok…I will.” I was a little nervous…ok, I was terrified. Jungkook was the quietest member next to Namjoon. He rarely ever talked to me, and the last few times, I ended up upsetting him. Jimin made eye-contact with me as I walked out the front door. He was giving me a lot of trust here not to run away. Who am I kidding though? I wasn’t going anywhere. I scanned the house to find a ladder next to the side of it.  
_ _

__“Jin was right.” I gasped. Jungkook yelped from his laying position. “You are on the roof. Why?”  
_ _

__Jungkook tsked, “It’s just easy to get air up here.” I nodded before shakily crawling on to the slanted roof.  
_ _

__“Mind if I sit here?”  
_ _

__Jungkook smirked, “Are you sure you want to? You look you’re going to fall.”  
_ _

__“I’m fine—ack!” I yelped when my foot slipped. Jungkook grabbed my wrist, helping me to steady myself as I crawled over to sit next to him.  
_ _

__“At least watch your step.” Jungkook groaned.  
_ _

__I huffed, “Excuse me for not being the best at roof climbing.”  
_ _

__“You’re so good at climbing trees though.”  
_ _

__“They’re sturdy!” Jungkook laughed at my defense. He seemed so peaceful now. Nowhere near as tense as before. “You know…I was really worried about you.”  
_ _

__Jungkook simmered down a bit, a smirk still slight on his face, “Oh, were you?”  
_ _

__“I was. You seemed really angry back there, and then you disappeared.”  
_ _

__“I’m right where I always go when I need space.”  
_ _

__“Yeah, but you just seemed so stressed.”  
_ _

__“Shouldn’t you be throwing yourself all over Jimin-hyung? Why are you bothering me with your sappy feelings?” Jungkook’s words were grumbled and filled with annoyance. Jin was right about him spitting out harsh words.  
_ _

__“As much as I care about Jimin, I care about you, too.”  
_ _

__Jungkook snorted, “That’s a damn lie. I’ve seen the way you blush around him. You’re so obvious.”  
_ _

__“E-excuse me, but t-that’s not true.”  
_ _

__Jungkook tutted at me, “Deny all you want.”  
_ _

__“I will!” I huffed. “And I guess I’ll just get to the point then. I want to know who Jonghyun is.”  
_ _

__“I’m sure you do.” Jungkook furrowed his eyebrows.  
_ _

__“I’m asking because I’m worried about you. Please, acknowledge that at least.” I pleaded.  
_ _

__Jungkook rolled over away from me, “Fine, you’re acknowledged.”  
_ _

__“Jungkook, every time I try to learn more about you, you shut me out.”  
_ _

__“Did you ever think it’s because I don’t want you in my business?” He snapped. “Back off, Lucy! It pisses me off how nosey you get. The hyungs leave me be, why can’t you?”  
_ _

__“The guys know what’s bothering you. I don’t.”  
_ _

__“I just want my privacy!” He growled.  
_ _

__“And I just want to know that you’re not going to do something stupid!”  
_ _

__Jungkook turned back to me, “What are you talking about?”  
_ _

__I couldn’t control my shaky breath, “I have so many people like you in my life. People who just bottle up all their problems, too afraid to open up. They hide from the world, taking every scar with them. You know what happens to them, Jungkook? They start to implode. Inside-out, they cave. The stress gets to them, till they can’t think straight. Alcohol, drugs, self-harm, these are all things they turn to. Eventually, the person they once was is gone, and you are stuck trying to heal them with no idea how because, they couldn’t open up. Do you know how hard it is to watch the ones you love self-destruct? How much pain you carry on the inside because, all you want to do is save them. Well, do you!” Hot, angry tears pooled at my eyes as I tried to blink them away.  
_ _

__“I know exactly how it feels.” Jungkook was on his back, arms draped over his stomach as he gazed at the sky. “For as long as I can remember, I always lived with my aunt and uncle. I didn’t know my mom or dad. Unlike the others, I had a fine life. We were well off in the finer things. I lived in a stunning mansion. Our garden was a mile long. I was served the best meals, given the best private tutor, and anything my heart desired. I was loved. My aunt and uncle took all the time in the world to make sure I was happy…I was sixteen when I discovered the secrets that lied in those walls.”  
_ _

__“Tell me about it.” I whispered gently.  
_ _

__Jungkook bit his lip, gazing helplessly at the sky, “My uncle and aunt didn’t get along very well. They put on a beautiful show in front of the crowd, but in private, it was a horror movie. They screamed like banshees, throwing things left and right. It’s when I truly noticed my aunt. Her face sagged with age…and with the amount of alcohol she consumed every day. I never realized before, but she was an alcoholic. The most painful thing was to catch her in the act of taking pills while drunk. Can you imagine how hard it was to confront her, only for her to smile and say nothing happened?” I said nothing. “I noticed for the first time, how slimy my uncle was. He cheated and gambled at every business deal. He eventually ended up going down a rabbit hole of bad decisions, leading him to Hajoon.”  
_ _

__“Your uncle was in cahoots with Hajoon?”  
_ _

__“In a way. They had a business deal, but Hajoon cut that deal short.”  
_ _

__“What hap—”  
_ _

__“Do you know what it’s like to hate where you come from?” Jungkook interrupted, not looking up.  
_ _

_“Mom! Come out already!” I banged on her door. Her sobs were crystal clear in this empty house. “Mom, I miss her, too, but I need you!” I pleaded, crying my eyes out.  
_

_“Lucy, let it go.” Behn calmly sighed. “She needs space.”  
_

_“You’re so selfish!” I snapped. “You and mom both. Grandma is dead and we’re all suffering, but we have to confine ourselves?”  
_

_Behn straightened up giving me a hard look, “Mom isn’t being selfish, Lucy. You are.”  
_

_I let my tears go, “Fine, then I’ll just leave.” I ran out of the house, slamming the door behind me. ___

_____ _

  


I gently answered, “Yes. And I’ve also hated myself, but then I realized I wouldn’t be me if it wasn’t for the people who raised me, just like you wouldn’t be you.”  
Jungkook paused before snorting, “A monster, you mean.”  


“A fighter.” Slowly, he turned his head, our eyes meeting for this first time since this conversation started. There was a pool of emotion swimming behind his eyes. I could see the soul of a young boy forced to grow up too fast. A young boy laid there with the strain of caring too much for people who hurt him. The young boy was crying out for help.  


“Jeon Jungkook. That’s my full name.”  


My breath hitched as I closed my eyes, “Jeon Jonghyun is…”  


“My uncle.” Jungkook kept his gaze on me. “I don’t know what he was doing with Dae-Jung. He could have been helping him, taking part, or whatever. All I know is that that was around the time Hajoon took everything from me.”  


“What did he do?”  


“He killed them.” Jungkook furrowed his eyebrows as if trying to remember something he forgot. “My aunt sent me away to one of our many private vacation homes—this one actually. I was woken up abruptly to her frantically ushering me out. When I came back that night, the whole mansion was burnt down. The corpses of all the maids, butlers, gardeners…my aunt and uncle…they were unrecognizable. They laid there in the debris. I was only sixteen, but everything I had grown up with was taken. Naturally, an investigation took place and I was deemed the sole heir to everything. So when I joined BTS, we took refuge here, in the most secluded cabin we owned, and I kept all the money.”  


“I’m so sorry, Jungkook. I can’t imagine what it must be like to fall like that.”  


Jungkook nodded, “I can’t pretend that my aunt and uncle were good people. They did some pretty selfish, disgusting, and harmful things. Even so, I love them. They were like my real parents. That bastard took everything from me.” He sat up, hands squeezing each other in tight fists.  


I placed my hand carefully on his shoulder, “Look how far you’ve come though. Look at the family you’ve gained.”  


Jungkook blinked at me, “You’re right. I don’t know what I would have done if it wasn’t for them. I honestly might have killed myself.”  


“Jungkook!”  


He shrugged, “I didn’t know what else to live for. I didn’t have any friends before that. Sure, I had my uncle’s company, but I was a kid. What the hell was I supposed to do with that. Technically speaking, it’s still in my name. If I ever decided to move on, I could take it over. I probably wouldn’t be good at it.”  


“Do you hear yourself? You are one the smartest people I know. The guys are always praising you on how stealthy, intelligent, and strategic you are. Everyone raves about how strong you are. You are good enough, Jungkook. Believe me.”  


Jungkook laughed, “I wish I could.”  


“You can.” I voiced firmly, “Your family decisions don’t define you. You are your own person and you shape your own future.”  


Jungkook pierced my eyes with his, “Do you believe that for yourself?”  


“I wouldn’t be in Korea if I didn’t.” I nodded. “My life was on a track that I wasn’t sure was going to take me anywhere. I decided when my mom moved to California with her boyfriend that I would take a chance.”  


“Maybe that’s something you have over your brother.”  


“Behn?” I tilted my head.  


“You talk about him so much. He seems like a great guy, and don’t get me wrong, going to school to be a doctor is an amazing thing, but did he really do something for himself? I mean, did he really want to be a doctor?” Come to think of it, I don’t know if Behn ever truly wanted to be a doctor. He always had high grades, and got a full ride due to it. Behn even put all that aside to take care of mom during her depression.  


_“Mom, please.” I leaned against her bedroom door, pleading. “I need you. Don’t abandon me.” Her silence was my answer. ___

____

“Doesn’t that just make me a selfish person? My brother did so much for everyone.”  


“I think that means you take chances. You’re not selfish for pushing for something greater than what is expected of you.”  


I smiled, “You make a good point, Jungkook.”  


“Of course I do.” He tsked.  


“Jungkook, are you happy?”  


Jungkook paused, “I think at one point all of us were numb. I can’t think of the last time I was genuinely content and at peace with life. Every day, all I can think about is how I can make Hajoon suffer the way I had to suffer. Some days I think about how useless I am. In general, though, I am able to push all those thoughts away and focus on my brothers.”  


“BTS.”  


Jungkook nodded, “BTS. If it wasn’t for them, I would be dead. I feel secure here, with them.”  


“I’m glad you’re alive, Jungkook, and I will forever be grateful to the others for taking you in.”  


Jungkook grinned shyly, “Me too.”  


I grabbed his face lightly, turning him to me, “I beg you Jungkook. Don’t ever consider taking your life again. It’s not worth it. The boys and I would all suffer knowing you weren’t here.”  


Jungkook grabbed my hand, “I know.”  


“Promise me, if you ever feel down, you will open up. Just talk about it. If you keep everything bottled up…”  


“Jeez, enough already.” Jungkook whined, going back to his normal self. “I’m fine. I appreciate your concern and all but I’m good. I’ve told you everything you need to know. I’m ok.”  


“Then…thank you for living.”  


“What?”  


I smiled, “If you hadn’t lived, I wouldn’t have gotten to meet you.”  


“You’re so weird! Just go back inside already.”  


“OK!” I chirped, noting his faint pink cheeks. “But hurry back inside. Dinner should be ready soon.” Jungkook waved me off.

  


_“Thank you, Lucy.” ___


	18. Silver Spoon

“I’m impressed,” Jin sipped his coffee in the morning, “Jungkook doesn’t open up to anyone. The fact that he told you about his uncle and aunt last night shows how much he trusts you.”  


“It’s not a big deal.” I waved him off light-heartedly. “I mean, he’s told you guys about it.”  


Jin hummed, “Yes, but it took a long time. We knew when we met Jungkook that Hajoon had a hand in his hardships. We had been tracking Hajoon and that had led us to Jungkook. We didn’t know what exactly happened, but the look in Jungkook’s eyes were promising to Namjoon. We took him in.”  


“He went with you guys just like that?”  


“Where else was he supposed to go?” Jin chortled. “He had no family, a hug amount of money and a company dumped on him, and an anger burning inside of him…he was scared.”  


I shook my head, “I know you’re telling the truth, but I just can’t picture someone who has such strong outburst to be scared. Jungkook has always seemed so brave to me.”  


“Well, from the way he talks about the past, I think it’s obvious to note that he was depressed. Even when we brought him in and were training him, he wasn’t happy. Like he said, he was close to killing himself. It was the fact that he was useful that he snapped out of it. He gets a lot of joy knowing that he’s helping someone.”  


“Jungkook is kind.” I smiled.  


Jin smiled back, “Jungkook is very kind. He always has been. We wouldn’t have a place to ourselves if it wasn’t for him. He’s always been a great help, and any chance we get we like to tell him that because, it makes him feel good. He deserves to be happy.”  


“You guys deserve to be happy, hyung.” We looked up to see Jungkook walking into the kitchen next to us. “But stop talking about me. It’s annoying.”  


Jin laughed, “You got it. Jungkook maybe the youngest but he’s the scariest, too. He’s so strong.”  


“Hyung, you’re like the second strongest. Stop it.” Jungkook whined. I couldn’t help but smile at the small exchange between the oldest and youngest. It was such a quiet, peaceful morning. I had woken up before Jimin. This gave me a chance to talk to Jin, who was already up and making breakfast. He was always one of the kindest of the seven, never afraid to talk. Slowly, Taehyung made his sleepy way down the stairs.  


“Good morning, Taehyung.”  


He grunted, “Mornin.” His face was puffy from sleep. After all that has happened to me, the nightmares had slowed down and I was feeling securer than ever.  


I frowned towards the ground, “…You know…I am very grateful to have gotten to know Jungkook better.” The three boys looked at me in question. “But…will I ever get to know about Jimin?” I was confused. By this time, Summer was half way over. We would be going into fall soon, and I still didn’t know anything about Jimin. I mean, I knew he was kind, the reason why I was still alive. I knew that I held a strong attraction to him, and that he didn’t like to kill the innocent…but all this info didn’t tell me who he is.  


Jin bit his lip, “That’s a good question. That’s also a tough question.”  


I furrowed my eyebrows, “Why, though? I’ve been here for so long, I’ve gotten really attached to all of you. I’m so thankful I’ve gotten to know you guys, your pasts, and all your hardships. So…why hasn’t Jimin opened up?”  


“Jimin a very secretive person.” Taehyung hesitated. “Maybe more so than even Jungkook. He’s got a long history.”  


“And?”  


Taehyung sighed, “It’s just not that easy for him. I’ve known Jimin longer than anyone in this house, and I can promise you there are many things to Jimin you wouldn’t want to know…many things he wouldn’t want you to know.”  


“I doubt there’s anything he could do to make me change my mind on him.”  


Taehyung shook his head, “Say what you want, but Jimin has sacrificed more than you know to be here. He’s had to go through so much. The pain and sins he holds is his alone to bare; that’s the way he thinks. He’d never do anything to put those he cares about in danger.”  


“I don’t see how me knowing how he joined BTS would cause me danger.” I chuckled nervously. The boys all looked down in silence. “Guys?”  


Jungkook responded first, “Just trust us when we say that Jimin is a good man. Better than any of us, and if anyone deserves a happy ending…it’s Jimin.” My heart picked up with all the riddles being thrown around. I was slightly scared, my mind was racing with multiple images of what he could have done, but nothing seemed to fit. Jimin was so kind, the gentlest and most caring of all of them.  


“Good morning everyone.” Jimin smiled, entering the room.  


“Mornin.” Taehyung grunted. Everyone acted like nothing happened as each boy pooled into the kitchen to grab their morning coffee and Jin’s breakfast. They howled with laughter as they tossed fruit pieces at each other. It seemed like the perfect morning; I’ve never seen them more alive. Something ached in the back of my mind though. I glanced at Jimin’s side profile. His eyes crinkled in joy from a joke Jhope was telling him. My heart leaped for a second, and my breath hitched. I couldn’t control how my heart fluttered around him, anymore. He was perfect in every way. His smile, his eyes, the tone to his muscles…but more than that, it was the way he held me, kiss my forehead softly. How did he feel though?  


Jimin turned to me. “Am I on your mind again?” I flinched back, turning my head with a huff. He was teasing me about the last breakfast where I accidentally told them all I was thinking about him.  


“Dream on.” I mumbled, blush prominent on my face. I didn’t notice his small smile as I ate my food, avoiding looking at him again.

  


“I’m going out.” Yoongi shrugged his shoes on, before closing the door behind him.  


“A mission?” I questioned as I cleaned the plates.  


Jhope handed me his, “We’re allowed to go out and relax. Yoongi likes taking walks, so that’s what he’s doing.” I nodded at his words, my eyes moving to Jin and Namjoon as they discussed more complex things about Hajoon.  


“Do those two ever take a break?” I motioned towards them with my head.  


Jhope chuckled, “No. But good luck trying to convince them.” I watched as they filed through documents, listing codes, locations. They pulled out a map, studying where pins had been placed, going back and forth. I couldn’t imagine the stress they were going through, but it was enough for me to wonder how hard it is to locate one man.  


After dishes were done, I followed Jimin up to his room. He was putting away laundry when I came in.  


“Hey.” I rocked on my feet. Jimin looked up at me confused.  


“Hey sweetie, what’s up?”  


I got goosebumps from his nickname, “I just wanted to talk to you.”  


Jimin raised his eyebrow, while tossing a neatly-folded shirt, “Something wrong?”  


“N-no! No, not at all!” I shook my head vigorously, “I just…”  


“You want to know more about me?” Jimin gave me a lopsided smirk.  


I blinked at him, “Did you hear out conversation this morning?”  


“Roughly around when Taehyung started talking about me, but even I didn’t, you are obvious to read.” He continued folding clothes.  


“Well…can we talk then?”  


“There’s nothing to talk about.” Jimin smiled.  


I fidget in the doorway, “Please? Everyone else has talked to me about themselves.”  


Jimin hummed, “And?”  


“And…I want to know you.”  


“So you keep saying.” Jimin sighed.  


“Is that so hard to believe?” I crossed my arms in awkwardness. “You’re by far the touchiest with me.”  


“Touchy?” Jimin laughed, shaking his head.  


“Every time I’m near you, I feel like we’re getting closer, but then you push me away leaving me confuse.” I blurted.  


Jimin locked eyes, “As I should. There’s only trouble and grief that comes with knowing me.”  


I rolled my eyes, “The boys haven’t been given grief for knowing you.”  


“You don’t know that.”  


“They love you! They’re like your brothers!” I blabbed, throwing my hands in the air.  


Jimin licked his lips, not breaking eye contact, “You’re quite quick to outbursts. If you think you’re going to get your way with me doing that, you’re wrong. I won’t falter like the others.”  


I gulped, “I-I don’t expect you to cave in. My intention isn’t to pressure you into talking to me.”  


Jimin shoved his clothes in the draw before slamming it, “It isn’t? You could have fooled me.” I felt small under his piercing gaze. He wasn’t all smiles anymore. “I know you better than you know yourself.”  


“That’s not—”  


“True? But it is.” Jimin slowly crept to me, towering over my small frame. “You have a habit of getting over-emotional. This leads to outbursts of tears and sappy confessions. You don’t know it, but it’s these emotional outbursts that lead people to confessing to you; exactly what you want because, you’re nosey.” Every word hit me like a brick. It made perfect sense, and it hurt to know. It was a flaw I didn’t want to admit.  


“Why won’t you talk to me?” I hit my mother’s door. “Don’t you think I’m hurt, too? I miss grandma so much mom, but I’m here. Behn is here. Everyday we’re working to keep on living. Just talk to me!”  


“Y-you’re right.” I stuttered, tears pricking my eyes.  


Jimin scowled, “You’re going to cry?”  


I shook my head, “Not because of you. I just…didn’t realize how selfish I was. I’m really not trying to pressure anyone. I-I didn’t mean, too.”  


“I know.”  


“I’m just curious!” I looked up at his hard expression. “I just want to be closer to you.”  


Jimin’s expression remained still, “There’s nothing to get close to.”  


“Why won’t you tell me about yourself?” I cried. “I know I’m flawed, and have things to work on, and this isn’t me trying to pressure you! I just…do I mean that little to you? I’ve told you everything about myself. I just want to be a part of your world.” Was this my confession?  


Jimin’s expression hardened deeper; he was angry. “You’ve run my patients.” Jimin unbuckled his belt. I flinched as he snapped it out of the loops. I took a step back before Jimin grabbed my arm, throwing me on the bed.  


“Jimin—”  


“You’ve been such a bad girl, sweetie.” Jimin purred, expression still irate. He pulled out a mirror from his closet before placing it in front of me.  


“Bend over.”  


“No!” I stammered, before being forced over his knee.  


Jimin tsked, “You’re so disobedient. It’s as if you want to be punished. Have you missed it that much?” I looked at his smirk through the mirror. He was mocking me again.  


SMACK!  


I gasped from the pain of the belt hitting my behind.  


SMACK! SMACK!  


“Look at yourself.” Jimin whispered in my ear. My screwed-shut eyes popped open to see his taunting smirk in the mirror once more.  


SMACK!  


I yelped at the pain, but I blushed in embarrassment from watching myself be punished. I couldn’t look at Jimin through the mirror at all. It was too humiliating.  


SMACK!  


“Aaagh.” I groaned, feeling embarrassment and pain rush through me. My behind was numb and most likely red. The belt made fwooshing and cracking noises as it whipped through the air. Fifteen…sixteen…twenty-six…twenty-seven…  


“Jimin,” I groaned panting, “Please stop.”  


Jimin hummed, haltering his assault on my butt, “Does it hurt?”  


“Yes.” I panted, looking at him through the mirror.  


SMACK!  


“Ahh!” I hissed.  


Jimin leaned down to my ear, his hot breath tickled it, “That pain you feel, will never amount to the pain that comes from knowing someone like me.” Jimin got up, sending me to slump, panting and whimpering, from the pain. Jimin tossed the belt to the side, moving the mirror back to its place in his closet before coming back to the mess that me. Expecting to be scolded, I closed my eyes. I was pleasantly surprised to feel his hand running through my hair. I look up at him in surprise. He smiled down at me before scooting my body up and laying the blanket around me.  


“I’m sorry.”  


“For punishing me.” I suggested.  


Jimin chuckled, “No, not at all. I’m sorry for what I said.”  


“No, you were right. There’s nothing to be sorry about.” I lowered my eyes. Jimin continued to play with my air.  


“I know I’m right. You are over-emotional. It’s not a good trait for someone out in the field like us…but it’s not a bad trait in general. You’re a very caring person. Nosey, yes! But you are so pure.” Jimin smiled at me. “Being emotional isn’t a bad thing. Being caring isn’t a bad thing. I shouldn’t have pointed it out."  


“Jimin, it’s fine.”  


“No, no.” Jimin tsked. “I need you to know that none of us told you about ourselves because you were emotional or gave sudden burst. I need you to know that everything we told you is the truth and it is cause we trust you that we confine in you. You are so easy to talk to…so easy to care about.”  


“Jimin?” I tried to raise my head, but I was stopped when I felt Jimin’s plush lips on my throat. Everything in my body burned as I lowered back, laying there helpless to Jimin’s endless soft kiss. He scattered his kiss all across my neck, my throat, up behind my ear…  


“Taehyung lied.”  


“What?” I tried to look up, but Jimin was running his nose across my jawline.  


“I don’t deserve a happy ending.” We sat in silence for a few moments as he continued to give me light pecks across my jaw. His hot breath fanned my face, leaving me with the scent of cinnamon.  


“Jimin—”  


“Have you?”  


“What?” I asked unsure.  


“Have you told me everything about yourself?” Jimin hovered over me with a gentle gaze.  


_“Thank you for your time, goodbye.” Behn hung up the phone.  
_

_I leaned against the wall, “Who was that?” Behn turned to me, slightly startled, before turning back to the food on the stove.  
_

_“Just the university, don’t worry about it.”  
_

_“How can I not worry about it. You’ve missed your entire first week of spring semester.”  
_

_Behn sighed, “Well, I’ll be missing more.”  
_

_“I don’t understand.” I walked up to the counter. “If you skip anymore, they won’t let you finish the semester.”  
_

_“I’m dropping out.”  
_

_I stood there in shock, “…excuse me?”  
_

_“You heard me, Lucy.” Behn groaned, agitated. “Mom needs me.”  
_

_I scoffed, “Yeah, so do I, but you have a full ride to an amazing career.”  
_

_Behn glared at me, “This isn’t something I want to discuss with you, Lu. Please, just drop it.”  
_

_“How can I? You’re giving up your future!” I started shouting. “Behn, mom would be happier knowing that you got a stable career.”  
_

_“And I will, down at the supercenter.” He slammed the plates down.  
_

_“You know what I mean.” I glared.  
_

_Behn glared right back, “Look, mom lost her jobs and her mother. You really think she is in any position to take care of herself? If I’m not here then you’re going to lose the house. You want to see mom lose it all?”  
_

_“She has me!” I barked back.  
_

_“You’re in high school!” He shouted back. “Mom is depressed, Lu, and you don’t know how to cope with a depressed person!”  
_

_“And you do?”  
_

_“A hell of a lot better than you!”  
_

_I huffed, thick, angry silence filled the room, “…You know I’m depressed, too.”  
_

_“Oh get off it, Lucy.” Behn grunted exasperated.  
_

_“I am!” I shouted. “I know you are, too. We’re all upset losing grandma. She was a big part in all of our lives. Shouldn’t this be the time we get together and stick as a family? Well mom has confined herself to her room, not talking to me, and you’re dropping your future to take care of her. You didn’t even cry at the funeral.”  
_

_“Oh my God, I’m so sorry I didn’t cry.” Behn through the pan on the stove. “What do you want me to say? Huh? I’m sorry I didn’t cry, I’m sorry I chose to come back and make sure my mom and sister were taken care of, I’m so sorry, Lucy, that mom is hurting and not talking to you.”  
_

_“Stop making me out to be selfish!”  
_

_“Well you are!”  
_

_I hiccupped, trying to keep the little sanity left calm, “I just want us to work through this together, but YOU aren’t grieving like you should, mom is grieving almost too much, and I’m stuck feeling helpless. You have no idea how I feel. It’s like I don’t even have a mom or brother!”  
_

_“Grow up, Lucy.”  
_

_“You’re such a jerk!” I ran out, but not before throwing the salt and pepper shake on the ground in spite…Behn and I didn’t talk for three days after that. ___

____

  


“Lucy?”  


I gazed back softly, “Let me tell you a story.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I wrote a thing...


	19. Boy in LUV

I walked down one of the lax, stagnant roads. It was a hot summer day. I had left right after breakfast to just get away from it all. I was feeling trapped in my mind again, trapped in the endless fight. I gazed around the park. It was silent at this time; probably due to people being at work—at a _normal _job.  
__

__I felt free. Growing up with nothing, I was used to being a no body. It didn’t faze me a bit to watch the people around enjoying whatever normal life they had, though. The only difference is that now I wouldn’t be pickpocketing them. Now, I could just walk around, casually enjoying the few moments I had of peace. Peace…it’s all I wanted. If I could choose what my next life would be, I would want to be a rock. I want to just sleep the whole day away, not thinking about Hajoon, not thinking what hell life has in store for me, nor if life will let up and maybe I can have…no, I’m unworthy of a happy life. That much was certain.  
_ _

__I serenely made my way towards the bridge that crossed the river. Beautiful, purple flowered trees were scattered around the park next to the bridge. I furrowed my brows as I got closer to the bridge. There was a familiar face.  
_ _

__“If you’re going to jump, just do it.” I grunted, watching her carefully as she leaned over the edge.  
_ _

__She tilted her head towards me in surprise, “Excuse me?”  
_ _

__“There’s no point in weighing options. If you feel so inclined to do something, you should just do it.” I continued. “I don’t think I need to warn you that it’s too shallow below, though.”  
_ _

__“Hahaha.” She wheezed, shaking her head. “Aren’t you supposed to tell people not to jump? You know, tell them they have people who care about them, suicide is not the answer, blah blah blah?”  
_ _

__“Suicide isn’t the answer, and you would be hurting the people who care about you and your chance at happiness.” I nodded. “But somethings telling me you already heard this stuff before.”  
_ _

__She nodded, “You would be correct. And as much as people like to think their words make a difference, it’s their actions that speak louder.”  
_ _

__“I can agree to that.” I sighed, thinking back to the day I was abandoned in this very park.  
_ _

__“It’s like people don’t get it.” She turned back to the water. “When you’ve gone through hell, you can’t just be expected to want to live.”  
_ _

__“It takes time.” I nodded. “Eventually though, you really do find things to live for. Your desire to live will come back.”  
_ _

__She chortled, “Oh? How do you know?”  
_ _

__“Cause I’ve been there.” I murmured. “Right where you’re standing…I was there, too.”  
_ _

__She looked back at me, curiosity flickering in her eyes, “What stopped you then?”  
_ _

__I smiled, “A very good friend.” She looked down, before turning back to the water. She appeared to be contemplating something.  
_ _

__She turned to face me, “What’s your name?”  
_ _

__“Yoongi.” I smiled back at the girl who tilted her head in confusion. Her shoulder length hair looked a lot healthier now. “And you?”  
_ _

__“Nara.” She weakly smiled. “…Have we met before? Your voice…it’s familiar.”  
_ _

__“No.”  
_ _

__She bobbed her head in acknowledgement, “I see…what brings you here, Yoongi?”  
_ _

__“This park has a lot of memories for me. It’s a place I like to go to get away from it all.”  
_ _

__“Mind to keep me company?” Her question was innocent, and it shouldn’t cause harm to give her the warmth that Lucy wanted to give her in the first place.  
_ _

__“Sure. Let’s talk.” I moved to lean against the bridge railing. “Why don’t you tell me what made you consider jumping.”  
_ _

__“You know, I could have just been leaning.” She huffed. “It doesn’t mean I was going to jump.”  
_ _

__‘Except I know you.’ I chuckled in my mind.  
_ _

__“But, yes, I was thinking about jumping…It’s just hard.”  
_ _

__I glanced at her side-profile, “Life?”  
_ _

__“Just wanting to live.” She crossed her arms over the railing. “This is heavy stuff, so get ready. About six months ago, I was walking home alone from night class. It didn’t even register that someone was following me, so next thing I know, I’m out. I wake up in this cell with a bunch of other women, naked. I had no idea where I was. For the next six months, I was passed around, used, beaten, and tortured like a rag doll. I’m not going to say what those men did to me…it should be obvious, but what happened to me…I wouldn’t wish it upon my worst enemy.”  
_ _

__I absorbed her brief summary, “I’m surprised you’re willing to talk about this to a complete stranger.”  
_ _

__She laughed, “You have a point, but to me, it would be way harder to talk about it to my family.”  
_ _

__“Have you talked to them?”  
_ _

__She shook her head, “I love my family. I have a beautiful mother and father, and an adorable little sister. How do you tell the people you love that you are unclean?”  
_ _

__“Unclean?” I turned to her.  
_ _

__“I’m filthy.” She murmured. “Inside and out. I feel their hands on me, the bruises they left. Everything pure about me was taken without my permission. Taken to be abused over and over and over…” I could see panic and pain consuming her eyes; she was reliving the moment.  
_ _

__“You don’t have to say anymore.”  
_ _

__She shook her head, a single tear falling, “No, it’s ok. If I don’t say these things now, I never will. Besides, if you leave and I do jump, it’ll be nice to know that someone else knew besides me.”  
_ _

__“I’m not leaving.”  
_ _

__She bitterly smiled, “Uh huh. Well, that’s why I can’t tell them. It’s too painful. I don’t want to see their pity and sorrow, knowing their little girl wasn’t innocent anymore.”  
_ _

__“Just because someone abused you, doesn’t mean you are impure, filthy nor not innocent. It makes them the filthy ones, the evil ones, who deserved to die in the first place.”  
_ _

__“I know you’re right.” She wheezed. “But it doesn’t change how I feel. I can’t shake the feeling that maybe I did something wrong. That I could have done something differently—”  
_ _

__“Living in the past will get you nowhere. It’s what lies ahead that matters. You’re alive, aren’t you? There’s a reason for that. I couldn’t tell you what that reason is, but I can tell you it’s something wonderful.”  
_ _

__“How do you know?”  
_ _

__“Cause I’m making you a promise.” I gave her a small smile. “You didn’t jump. Even though you may not have a reason now to keep going, you will.”  
_ _

__She became bashful, “Your friend…did he say the same thing?”  
_ _

__“He did one better. He gave me a reason.” I smiled, thinking back.  
_ _

_“You’re going to kill him.” I cocked my head to the side.  
_

_Namjoon nodded, “I know he was involved, and my mother deserves better.”  
_

__

_Jin rubbed the back of his neck, “Can’t you go to the police?”  
_

__

_“And tell them what? I killed my father’s whore?” Namjoon shook his head. “They’re all bought anyway. It wouldn’t matter.” Everyone remained quiet. “I don’t expect you to come along with me. It’s a vigilante life. We would be criminals—I’ll be a criminal. Death Row would be the first option if I get caught.”  
_

__

_Jin shook his head, “Don’t say that.”  
_

__

_“I have, too. You guys are my best friends and I don’t want you to ever forget that.”  
_

__

_“How can we, when we’ll be living with you.” I stood up, stretching.  
_

__

_Namjoon furrowed his eyebrows, “What?”  
_

__

_“I said, we’re going to help you.”  
_

__

_“Yoongi, no—”  
_

_Jin stood up next, “He’s right, Namjoon. You gave us a roof over our heads, taught us the basics of school…we could never repay you for your kindness. If you go down, we’re all going down.”  
_

__

_“Guys…”  
_

__

_“Don’t try to stop us now.” I snorted. “Besides, you’re extremely clumsy. How the hell do you expect to take down Hajoon?”  
_

__

_Namjoon chuckled, “Alright. Thank you.” _  
__

__I had nothing to live for. Jin and I would remain on the streets for the rest of our lives if it hadn’t been for meeting Namjoon.  
_ _

____

_“Come live with me.” Namjoon held out his hand.  
_

__

_I shook my head in disbelief, “We’re thieves.”  
_

__

_“And?”  
_

__

_“We could steal from you and make our way out.”  
_

__

_“How can you steal when I’m offering it to you.”  
_

__

_Jin tilted his head, “How can we trust you?”  
_

__

_Namjoon groaned, “Guys, I’ve been hanging out with you for the last two months. Honestly, you think I would be trying something funny? My dad is rich and wouldn’t even notice you guys living in my penthouse with me.”  
_

__

_“That must be nice.” I grumbled.  
_

__

_“Come on.” Namjoon sighed. “I’m lonely, you guys need a roof over your head, and we can all be happy if we just live together.” There was a pause in the air.  
_

__

_“Ok.” _  
__

____

____

___I owe my life to Namjoon. Jin and I were always running on a thin line. To be looked at as an equal, to be given a chance at a fresh start, that’s what Namjoon gave us. To see him fall hurt Jin and I both. In order to repay him, for believing in us when no one else did, we’d do anything to help him.  
_ _ _

___“You promise.” She mumbled, confused.  
_ _ _

___I smiled slightly, “I promise. You will be ok. It may not seem like it now, but you have a lot of support behind you. People who care about you enough to want to see you get better. That want to know what’s going on; they want to help. But you have to take the first step.”  
_ _ _

___“How?”  
_ _ _

___I shrugged, “You have to want that help. You have to want to keep going.”  
_ _ _

___“I don’t know if do want that though.”  
_ _ _

___“You do.” I nodded. “You just don’t know it yet, but when you feel that spark that tells you to live, it’ll take your breath away. It’ll light a fire deep in your soul.”  
_ _ _

___“You sound like you’ve gone through a lot yourself.” I blinked at comment, before nodding.  
_ _ _

___“Yeah…I have.” We stood there in silence as the sky above our head moved. Its colors were changing into beautiful bursts of purples and oranges. I didn’t realize how long I had been out nor the time I had found her.  
_ _ _

___"You know...I was found in that cell by a girl and three masked men." She was staring at the sky. "Her name was Lucy. She was begging me to keep fighting."_ _ _

___"And?" I raised an eyebrow._ _ _

___"She was very kind." She simply stated. "The guy beside her exterminated everyone around me...but even he didn't appear like he wanted to."_ _ _

___"It was a good thing they found you, then. You could have ended up like the others." I nodded in acknowledgment._ _ _

___"That's very true." She furrowed her brows in contemplation._ _ _

___Suddenly, she pushed herself away from the ledge, locking eyes with me as I turned around.  
_ _ _

___“Meet me here tomorrow, same time as today.”  
_ _ _

___I blinked, “What?”  
_ _ _

___“I’ll wait all night. If you don’t show up I’ll freeze to death.”  
_ _ _

___“Are you threatening me, Nara?”  
_ _ _

___“If I am?”  
_ _ _

___I laughed at how bold her statements were, “Fair enough. I wouldn’t want you to freeze. I’ll be here.”  
_ _ _

___She smiled, “Good. I’ll see you then, Yoongi.” With a nod of my head assuring her that I would come, she ran off, out of the park. I smiled, remembering what it was like to be in her place, but also remembering how good it felt to finally have someone to lean on. That’s all she needs; someone to give her strength till she can give strength to herself._ _ _

_____ _

  


“Welcome back, Yoongi.” Jin yawned, stretching from his spot on the couch. I gazed around the room. Namjoon had fell asleep at the dining table.  


“Did I miss dinner?”  


Jin chuckled, “Yeah, but I saved you leftovers.”  


“Where are the others?”  


“Taehyung and Jungkook are playing games in Jungkook’s room. I think Hoseok is sleeping in his room, and Lucy and Jimin are in his room.”  


I nodded at each name, “Everything go ok.”  


Jin sighed, “Well, Jimin lost his temper with Lucy.”  


“That’s what I’d figure.” I sighed.  


“I can’t blame him. He’s never been one to like to talk about those things.”  


“You can’t blame Lucy, either.” I noted. “Jimin is the closest to her and he’s keeping secrets.”  


Jin nodded in a daze, “Sometimes secrets aren’t so bad.”  


I shook my head, “You’re just saying that cause your existence to your sister is a secret.”  


“Please don’t bring her up.” Jin sighed. “I’m not the enemy.”  


“I’m sorry. I’m not trying to take anything out on you.” I sighed. “I can see the way he looks at her, though.”  


“Like she’s the only one in the room?” Jin chuckled. “He always been the one to get attached easily.”  


“Well when everything you care for gets stripped from you, you tend to hold on a little tighter.” I noted.  


Jin hummed in agreement, “It’s too bad Jimin so stubborn. Hopefully, Lucy can be patient enough to warm her way in.”  


“She already has him.” I agreed. “It just takes time to be able to move on.”  


“You don’t think he’s moved on?”  


“Not nearly enough…but he’s getting there. This is the best I’ve seen him in a long time.”  


Jin yawned, “Well, I’m going to bed. You should head off to.”  


“What about Namjoon?”  


Jin rolled his eyes, “I got him.”  


“Goodnight.” I chuckled. As I walked up the stairs, I could see the light coming from Jimin’s room. The door was creaked open. I peered inside to see Lucy snuggled into his chest. Jimin was softly singing in her ear. I coughed to alert him I was there.  


“Hey, hyung.” Jimin smiled.  


I smiled back, “I heard it was a rough day.”  


Jimin groaned softly, “I lost my temper.”  


“You punished her?” I inquired.  


Jimin bit his lip, “Yes, but everything’s ok now. We talked it out, and I apologized. You know, I learned a lot about her today.”  


“Does that make you happy?”  


“It makes me ache for her.” Jimin responded honestly. “Even though, I can’t have her.”  


I shook my head, “That’s her choice as much as it’s yours Jimin.”  


He shook his head, “She deserves better than any life someone like me could give her.”  


“You don’t give yourself enough credit.” I shook my head. “At least consider telling her the truth.”  


“I’ll think about it.” Jimin smiled, playing with her hair. I knew this was a sign to leave, so I did. Before closing the door, I saw Jimin kiss her temple before turning the lights off, himself. I walked back to my room not thinking about anything because, today was filled with too much to think about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the lack of updates! I tried uploading a couple days ago, but the internet kept going out cause everyone is in the process of signing up for classes next semester, reserving their rooms, etc. I'll do better! Thank you for being patient~


	20. Serendipity

“What happened to your mom?” Jimin asked, holding me close. We were whispering to each other, me telling him my childhood stories, and him asking questions. The minutes ticked by in the distance, and my butt ached from the assault it had been forced under an hour or two ago. The house was silent as we laid there conversing.  


I adjusted my head on his pillow, “She just eventually snapped out of it.”  


“What do you mean?”  


I shrugged, “One day, she just snapped out of it. I remember waking up, going to the kitchen to make myself some cereal, but she was there smiling brightly with some bacon and eggs cooking.”  


“Did you guys talk about what happened?” Jimin furrowed his eyebrows.  


I shook my head, “No. All three of us pretended like nothing happened, and life went back to normal.”  


Jimin raised his head on his hand, “Except it didn’t go back to normal. You said you and Behn didn’t talk after that.”  


I gave him a pathetic raise of the corner of my lips, “I fought constantly with Behn, all the time, when mom was ill. It was either we pretended the other didn’t exist or we ended up yelling at each other. Like I said before, mom never came out of her room nor did something to stop us. But, after that day, him and I just didn’t acknowledge each other…When I say things went back to normal, I mean mom got a new job, she was smiling again, Behn was working on going back to college, and I continue life as it was.”  


“But you and Behn were never the same.”  


“No…we weren’t. Around New Years, Behn applied for college, and was prepared to leave for the spring semester. Mom was proud of him, congratulated him, and then never spoke about him again once he left.”  


“She was probably sad he had left and knew you guys weren’t on speaking terms.”  


I nodded, “No, you’re right. I know mom loves Behn, and if it wasn’t for the fights, she probably would have talked about him more to me…but it still hurt to not hear from him nor about him.”  


“…Did you tell him goodbye?”  


I bitterly laughed, “No. I was so ashamed of myself and our silence, I didn’t know what to say. He got on that plane without me even saying a single word. We never spoke to each other after the fight. It just became so awkward. What was I supposed to say?”  


“Anything.”  


I sighed, “I know, and that’s what hurts the most. He told me before he got on that plane that he wasn’t going to come back this time, and that the next time we met, he hoped I had a dream I was following.”  


“It sounds like your brother was suffering as much as you.” Jimin whispered. “You both were stubborn and didn’t know what words to say. Neither one of you knew how to say sorry after letting the grudge and pain fester for so long.”  


I stared at him in awe, “Y-you’re right. It hurt not talking to him all that time. We would brush past each other in the hallway or in the kitchen, but we never spoke. I lost my best friend.”  


“You didn’t lose him.” Jimin hummed. “He’s still alive and doing well, right? When you see him again, I want you to tell him everything you bottled up. Tell him how much you miss him and how sorry you are.”  


“Will I see him again though?” I choked up a little bit.  


Jimin smiled, “OF course you will, sweetie. I promise, you’ll see him again. Just be patient with us.”  


“I know. As soon as you get rid of Hajoon…Jimin, what will you do once Hajoon is defeated?”  


Jimin looked up in contemplation, “I suppose we’ll all go our own ways. That is, if we aren’t sent to prison for life.”  


I shook my head, “You guys are so quick to throw your lives away.”  


“I’m not saying any of us want to die, but when you’ve done the messed up things that we have, you don’t really get much of a choice. But it is true, if we ended up getting caught, all of us would welcome death.”  


“Stop saying things like that!” I was getting upset.  


Jimin brushed a thumb across my cheek, “I’m sorry. Don’t worry, Lucy. No one is going to die. But I really don’t know what we’ll do when this is all over. We’ve been at it for years. It’s hard to imagine a life outside of this.”  


“Maybe you could get a fake ID or something; start fresh.”  


Jimin cover his mouth with the palm of his hand, “Maybe. We do know a guy who could help us out.”  


“See! You can have a normal life.”  


Jimin chuckled, “Yes, but doing what? I don’t know what I’d even want out of this life. I doubt the others do.”  


“Maybe…” I paused. Jimin’s eyes flickered with curiosity. “Maybe you could come with—”  


“Tell me about your grandma again.” Jimin smiled, cutting me off. My heart dropped, knowing he knew exactly what I was going to say.  


“I told you all about her, though.”  


Jimin rested his head on his arm with a grin. “Tell me again. I’ve never had a grandma before.”  


“Everyone has a grandma.”  


“I’ve never met her, though. What are they like?”  


I hummed, “Well, grandmas bake lots of things. They got recipes for days so they know how to make whatever you can think of.”  


“Key-lime pie?”  


“Yep.”  


“chocolate chip cookies?”  


“Yep.”  


“How about bread?”  


“Of course!”  


“Steak.”  


“Do you like steak?”  


“I love steak. Not as much as Taehyung, though.”  


“Well grandmas can make ten steaks in one go.”  


Jimin snickered, “Really?”  


“Of course! Grandmas have been cooking all their lives. They no secrets to make recipes taste ten times better than a five-star restaurant.”  


“That’s pretty impressive.”  


“Indeed.” I nodded with a teasing smile.  


“What about escargot with caviar on top?”  


“Where on Earth would you eat escargot with caviar on top?”  


Jimin shrugged, “I don’t know. But can grandmas make it.”  


“Well sure, but that’s a ridiculous dish.” I shook my head with a laugh.  


Jimin smiled at me, “Continue. Tell me more about these things you call grandmas.”  


“Oh, my goodness, Jimin.” I laughed quietly, trying to calm myself. “Well, grandmas can make anything out of fabrics.”  


“Like scarves?”  


“And blankets, socks, mittens, hats…” I drawled on. “When it comes to knitting, embroidering, or things like it, they can do it.”  


“What if my hat has a hole in it?”  


“They can fix it.” I chirped. “Grandma’s know how to stitch back clothing. And, they do it with love.”  


Jimin chuckled, “Ok, well what else can they do?”  


“Well, grandmas have the power to spoil their grandchildren.”  


“That’s a power?”  


“It’s a power when your mom says no dessert before dinner but grandma gives you six cookies. Yes, it’s a power.” I answered wittily. “Grandmas give you treats when you normally wouldn’t get them. It’s like being on vacation all the time.”  


Jimin laughed, “Tell me more.”  


“Well…grandma’s have a lot of time on their hands cause they’re retired. They’ve worked hard their whole lives so now they can relax and do what they want. This is usually the time they tend to gardens.”  


“Your grandma had a garden?”  


“Filled with tomatoes.” I sighed dreamily. “And carrots, and broccoli, and all sorts of deliciously sweet vegetables.”  


“You like tomatoes?”  


“I love tomatoes. They’re my strange obsession.”  


“Strange indeed.”  


I whacked his chest, “You haven’t had a good vegetable until you’ve tasted one right out of the garden.”  


Jimin seemed curious, “Was it a big garden.”  


“No, it was just the edges of our backyard.”  


“Your grandma’s garden was at your house?”  


“Well she was there all the time.”  


“Fair point. How good are these vegetables?”  


“The sweetest you’ve ever tasted.” I grinned.  


Jimin scoffed, “Vegetables aren’t sweet. Fruit is.”  


“Wrong! Vegetables are supposed to be sweet, but they’re so preserved in the stores that they become bitter.”  


“I want to taste this sweet vegetable you speak of.”  


I laughed, “Well, maybe we can grow a garden or something.”  


“Actually, that’s not a bad idea.”  


“You want to grow a garden?” I gave him a puzzled but amused look.  


Jimin nodded, “I could help you tend it.”  


“I’d like that.” I grinned, our faces inches apart from all the laughing.  


Jimin looked at me softly, “Grandmas sound amazing.”  


I smiled back, “My grandma was…and other grandmas around the world are, too, but…it was really hard not having her there for Christmas.”  


“Was Christmas a big celebration for you?”  


I hummed thinking about it, “Yeah. We would go to church in the morning, then come back and open presents. We would open gifts from youngest to oldest, then eat a big breakfast mom made. Grandma would bake all the desserts: seven-layered bars, mint chocolate truffles, and a cake of Behn’s choice. I got to choose the side dish for our Christmas ham that we had every year.”  


“What would you choose?” Jimin smiled.  


“My favorite: Twice-stuffed baked potatoes.”  


Jimin grinned, “Everything sounds delicious…Your Christmas sounds so fun.”  


“Do you celebrate Christmas?” I asked.  


Jimin shrugged, “The guys and I usually give each other a gift, but that’s it. I can’t remember the last time I actually celebrated Christmas.”  


“What about with your family.”  


Jimin shook his head, “I can’t remember them.”  


“You can’t remember them?” I furrowed my eyebrows.  


“Please tell me more.” Jimin whined. “Everything is so fascinating.”  


‘I want to learn about you, too, though.’ I bit my lip, keeping my thoughts to myself. These moments, covered in blankets, nose-to-nose with Jimin, these were the best moments. Telling him all my stories, everything about me…he made me feel safe.  


I tsked, “I don’t really have much else to say on Christmas.”  


Jimin pouted, “Tell me something else. Tell me about your dad.”  


I was a little surprised, “My dad? You know he died when I was young; I was four. I don’t really remember anything about him. He was tall, and was an only child. My grandparents on his side were already dead before I was born. I think it was heart attacks and old age.”  


“So, your grandma was on your mom’s side.”  


“Yes. Mom never talked about dad when he died. I don’t really remember that part of my life much, but I think mom was depressed then, too. That’s why grandma had originally continued to come over so often. She babysat us as mom went to work and went through her emotions. Behn took care of me when grandma couldn’t, so I don’t remember seeing much of my mom during that time.”  


“…What you’re telling me is, whenever something traumatic happens, your mom shuts down.”  


I paused, thinking about what he said, “I guess you’re right. I didn’t think about it. Mom always had a tendency to bottle up everything and hide from the world. It wasn’t healthy at all. That being said, I kind of gained that trait. I mean, just think back to that creepy old man.” I shivered thinking about it.  


Jimin nodded, “It’s good to acknowledge these things. You can grow as a person that way. But I’ll be honest, I think you handled your situation better than most. I’m not trying to shame your mother, because I know she is a good mom. I’m just noticing a pattern that may have influenced you.”  


“It certainly did influence me.” I nodded. “And Behn took the brunt force of it all.”  


“He may remember more of that time than you did, and that may have caused him to lash out at you when your grandma died. He already had to deal with taking care of you and your mom when his dad died…then he had to do it again.”  


My lip quivered, “You’re right. Behn was always the selfless one…he never was able to grieve properly. That made me angry, though. I wish he’d just grieve with me. We could have together as a family. He didn’t have to put us before himself. Sometimes I wish he didn’t…he deserved more than that. That’s why I held a grudge against my mom, too. I don’t anymore, but I used to have ill feelings toward her cause of that.”  


“It’s ok.” Jimin hushed me. “Maybe Behn did grieve. He didn’t tell you cause you are like your mom in the sense that you are slightly more fragile. He just wanted to take care of both of you; it’s something that made him happy. Don’t be upset at him for that. As for your mom, I’m glad you don’t have any ill thoughts towards her anymore, but I think you need to let go.”  


“Let go of what?”  


“Let go of the past you. You can’t see it, but you cringe every time you talk about your past self. You are lowkey hating on yourself, and that’s not good. You’re going to drown yourself in guilt.”  


“I just feel bad…” I sighed.  


Jimin rubbed my shoulder, “I know, but you don’t need to. Behn and your mom love you. They never would have wanted you to feel bad. People make mistakes, but it’s the mistakes we make that make us grow.”  


I smiled, “You’re right. Thank you, Jimin.” We laid in silence as I thought about what he said. Jimin was so smart. He talked as if he experienced life twice, holding on to something deep within him…Whatever he held inside, he wouldn’t let me know. Not now, at least. He’s so strong, but something is holding him back. I wish I could tell him how much I want to be the one to set him free…but he won’t listen. It makes me wonder what mistakes he’s made himself. What his life was like before BTS. I want to know him.  


“Can you forgive your mistakes?” I questioned, wanting to hear him speak to me.  


Jimin smiled, “I made no mistakes. I made choices. Choices…they are not mistakes. Choices are things you carry with you, good or bad. And if bad, you must atone for.”  


“What choices did you makes?”  


Jimin closed his eyes, “Too many to count. Too many to be forgiven.”  


“You don’t get to decide that. Forgiveness is something someone gives you. Something that regardless if you accept or not, is given to you. You can’t get rid of it.”  
“Except the dead can’t forgive.”  


I didn’t question his strange words, “Dead or alive, anyone can forgive, but in order to accept it, you have to forgive yourself.”  


‘You taught me this, Jimin.’ I confirmed in my mind.  


More silence enveloped us. It was comfortable, however. The kind of silence that welcomes you to fall into a deep slumber. Jimin’s arms wrapped around me, pulling me closer to chest. Suddenly, his angelic voice filtered into the room. Notes danced around the silence, bouncing harmoniously against the walls, and enveloping me in peace. Jimin was singing. It was so soft, too quiet for anyone downstairs to hear, but loud enough for my ears alone. I had no idea he had such a beautiful voice, beautiful enough to send goosebumps up my body in pleasure.  


Slowly, my eyes closed on their own. I was whisked away into a state between awake and a dream. I was being pulled into a world where it was just Jimin and I. We were in a field of gold. Wheat surrounded the hill we were on top of as the blue sky moved overhead. Jimin beckoned me forward till we were dancing in the field of gold; dancing to his voice singing.

  


I didn’t hear Jimin talking to Yoongi, and I didn’t feel hips lips on my temple, but I felt in my heart that I was home.


End file.
